Trapped in the Past or Empowered for the Future? Afghan Women’s Prospects in the Decade to Come

Abstract

The recent presidential election in Afghanistan saw larger numbers of women defying the Taliban by questioning candidates and turning out to vote. This paper argues that Afghan women now need to further revolutionize skewed gender relations within the private sphere of the family. Already a growing number of men are lobbying on behalf of female relatives who have experienced sexual abuse; the result is that notions of women’s rights are being inserted into public consciousness. A genuine women’s movement could extend well beyond the past decade’s cosmetic ‘modernization’ that has benefited only a few elite women. To gain independent bargaining power for such a groundswell, different female constituencies should unite, rallying behind a vision that appropriates and deploys liberating and peaceadvocating versions of Islam. At home – where they customarily have been bartered into marriages – girls should be expected to gain skills in literacy and numeracy that can lead to a salary and professional status. Then, instead of adhering to traditional gender roles and identities based on the number of sons they have borne, women could start to be recognized for their formal labor. As one symbolic step to reverse women’s precarious status in the decade ahead, the government and international donors should set the example of employing members of both sexes to work on projects of economic development.