Students’ perceptions of gender equality: A case study of a conflict-stricken country

Abstract

The study investigated undergraduate students’ perceptions of gender equality, their practices and perceived strategies to promote gender equality in Afghanistan. It also examined the impact of the participants’ gender on their responses. The authors used an online questionnaire to collect data from 448 students using snowball sampling technique. They used descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze the data. The findings showed that the majority of the participants had favorable perceptions about gender equality, and an overwhelming majority disagreed with the traditional notion of “women belong in the kitchen and men belong at the office”. They used various practices to varying extent to promote gender equality in their communities (e.g. advocacy for gender equality). They suggested a number of strategies to promote gender equality in Afghanistan (e.g. integration of gender equality in education). Furthermore, the participants’ gender had a significant impact on their perceptions of gender equality. Female students had stronger perceptions about gender equality than their male counterparts did; they used a number of practices more frequently than males to promote gender equality. Compared to their male counterparts, female students were also more aware of roles of men, mullahs, education and awareness programs in promotion of gender equality in society.