Despite the changes to culture, work, and even the variety of occupations in Uzbekistan, in general the people's lives are centered on the lands and family. Free time is more common during the short winter days, but few people have the discretionary income to go out and enjoy the money they make. More commonly, life is focused in the home and free time is spent with family and friends.
Identity
The people of Uzbekistan are struggling to find a unified identity as the people argue how each person should be identified. Many of the ethnic Uzbeks identify as "Uzbeks," which they tend to define in political, cultural, and ethnic terms. This is usually defined by being a Muslim, having a settled lifestyle, speaking Uzbek, and being an ethnic Uzbek. Most ethnic Tajiks in the country identify as Tajiks, but citizens of Uzbekistan. Many other minority groups refuse to be identified as Uzbek, even under political terms; this is in part because the Uzbeks have tied the culture, language, and ethnicity to the Uzbek identity, implying the identity requires more than just citizenship, hence excluding these ethnic minorities. Because of this, most ethnic minorities generally identify by their ethnicity, which tends to be tied to a distinct language and culture.