USA

Women in Afghanistan

Life for women in Afghanistan has traditionally not been easy. The power of male family members is so great that they hardly have the opportunity to make decisions themselves. During the years in which the communist regime was in power, women’s lives changed in a positive way, but with the arrival of the Taliban their position became so bad that the whole world spoke of it as a shame.

Family

In Afghanistan, all life revolves around family, with the eldest male being the partriarch and his will is law. The role of women is subordinate to that of men. Women are expected to make themselves barely visible out of respect for family honor. In everyday life, this means only going out on the street when strictly necessary and when they appear in public, they must do so veiled. In the worst case, they wear a ‘burqa’, which covers them from head to toe, with a gauze over the eyes.

There are differences between the ethnic groups, but broadly speaking this is the way of thinking of most people. It should be noted that among nomads women enjoy more freedom, for the simple fact that they move around and therefore cannot stay indoors all the time. There is also more freedom in the countryside because women often help out in the fields. The situation is worst for women in the larger towns and cities.

Modernization

During the reign of kings Amanullah Shah and Zahir Shah, the position of women slowly improved. Amanullah Shah opened the first girls’ school and in 1935 education became compulsory for all children. In 1962, higher education was also opened to women. The influence of the Soviet Union was growing during that period and their ideas of equal rights for women had influence in Afghanistan. With the arrival of the communist regime, women were encouraged to study and burqas were abolished, especially in the big cities. However, the conservative elements in the country opposed these liberalizations. Many people could not keep up with the pace of modernization and found support among conservative mullahs who opposed the communists.

The Taliban

With the arrival of the Taliban, the situation of women deteriorated enormously. Women were forbidden to work outside the home, to attend school, they were obliged to wear a burqa outside the home and it was even forbidden to appear on the street without a ‘mahram’ (husband or male relative). This is punishable by a beating or imprisonment. Life was made impossible in this way for women who no longer had a man to provide for their livelihood. And due to the Civil War, the number of widows was high. Some women were forced to place their children in orphanages because they saw no other way to feed them. Medical facilities for women were hardly available. Women under the Taliban were less than second-class citizens.

Traditionally, the woman was subordinate to the man in a family, but in times of need she could always call on her family. In case of illness or when she became a widow, there was always family she could turn to. However, the war put an end to that. While the situation as it was before provided women with protection, many women are now completely alone. The war has torn families apart, many women are widows or have a husband who has been injured to such an extent that he can no longer provide for his family. In such situations, a woman would previously have received support from her family, but now that family is often simply no longer present. And although the Taliban have been officially expelled, life is hard for a woman who chooses to work. Working women are still threatened, by ultra-conservative elements in Afghan society or by her own family who see this as a shame. While for such a woman there is often simply no other option than to work outside the home to provide for her family.

Na de Taliban

When the Taliban was ousted with Western help in 1999, hopes flourished that the situation for women would quickly improve. And although officially many improvements have indeed taken place, for many women the situation has actually hardly changed or improved. Officially, women are allowed to work again, take off their headscarves, walk alone on the streets, and receive education. Women can now speak openly about their problems. Forced marriages, rape, murder in the name of family honor, abortion, these are themes that can finally be discussed openly, although it poses great danger to the women who dare to take that step. In practice, however, this is made impossible for most women. Women’s rights are now included in the new constitution.

The Taliban is making a comeback in many areas, but other conservatives are also making life virtually impossible for women. Tribal councils, which play a major role in many regions, almost always speak out against women. The women who manage to reach a higher position are threatened. Such threats are regularly carried out and women are regularly kidnapped and murdered for the simple fact that they have a job outside the home and dare to express their opinion. Journalists, female parliamentarians and other women who dare to speak out about the problems are under heavy fire and receive no protection. Institutes that focus on helping women, often with Western help, are threatened and their work is often made impossible.