Voices Silenced: Women’s Struggles in Afghanistan

By: Natali Hayotsyan

August 2021 marked the beginning of the end for women in Afghanistan. The once democratic government was overthrown by the authoritarian theocracy of the Taliban – a centralized and severely strict government in which laws are enforced based on religious interpretations. This significant shift in power resulted in tremendous changes regarding policies addressing gender equality and gender roles, immensely endangering the rights of women in the country. 

Specifically, the Taliban has enforced a series of harsh and brutalizing restrictions on women, targeting education, employment, health care, freedom of speech, and movement.

In the sector of education, women have been barred from receiving an education beyond primary school, placing an end to their educational careers at grade level six (UN Women, 2025). 

This has, in turn, impacted their entrance into the job sector, with the percentage of women in the workforce dropping to 5.1% as of 2024 (World Bank, 2024). Despite some women occupying roles in journalist positions and aides in front-line humanitarian works, most are subjected to the harsh conditions of the informal sector with low wages. Nonetheless, accessing this money still remains a challenge for women, with less than 7% of women having a bank account or utilizing mobile money services (UN Women, 2025). 

Additionally, the limited presence of women in education and the workforce has directly undermined their access to healthcare. With the introduction of new laws by the Taliban regime restricting women from both being treated by male physicians and studying medicine or midwifery, it has become close to impossible for women to access necessary healthcare (UN Women, 2025).

Despite the severity of the mentioned restrictions, the most violating and inhumane ones pertain to the Taliban's restrictions on women's freedom of speech and movement. Particularly, women are barred from leaving their homes without being accompanied by a male relative or marital partner and from speaking in public environments. A simple trip to the grocery store or to the clinic endangers their safety and requires the approval of a man (UN Women, 2025) – further escalating women's access to education, the workforce, and healthcare. 

Ultimately, the inhumane human rights violations of the Taliban regime are evident, demonstrating the tremendous hardships and limitations women in Afghanistan face on a daily basis. 

Beyond these severe restrictions, the women of Afghanistan are also subjected to both domestic violence and state violence, enforced by government authorities. In a domestic setting, a 2018 report by the UN Women Organization revealed that “more than one in three Afghan women had experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner within the past year.” Revealing how state-level oppression and marginalization of Afghan women extend to the domestic sphere, significantly influencing family dynamics and partner roles. Regarding state-inflicted violence, the UN has reported that during the detention of women, on the basis of violating hijabi dress codes, they were subjected to “physical violence, threats, and intimidation” (World Bank, 2024). Hence, it's evident that Afghan women are not only being stripped of their rights but are being dehumanized and abused. How much longer can this continue? How much longer can gender be a reason for oppression and discrimination in the 21st century? 

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has attempted to call for action and intervene by presenting cases to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, the cases were dismissed on the basis of national sovereignty and religious traditions (UN News, 2025), thus raising the question of: How can women’s rights be advocated for and protected with such a system in place? As youth, we do not have the power to present cases to the ICJ or provide substantial funding for women's rights organizations; however, what we can do is raise awareness, educate ourselves, and advocate for change. 

---

Works Cited

Afghanistan: Taliban’s arbitrary arrests and detention of women and girls over dress code must end immediately, UN experts say | Ohchr. Afghanistan: Taliban’s arbitrary arrests and detention of women and girls over dress code must end immediately, UN experts say. (2024, February 2). https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/afghanistan-talibans-arbitrary-arrests-and-detention-women-and-girls-over 

FAQs: What it’s like to be a woman in Afghanistan in 2025 | UN Women – Headquarters. (2025, August 7). UN Women – Headquarters. https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/faqs/faqs-afghanistan 

Afghanistan: Taliban restrictions on women’s rights intensify. (2025, May 1). UN News. https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/05/1162826 

Afghanistan | World Bank Gender Data Portal. (n.d.). World Bank Gender Data Portal. https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/economies/afghanistan 

---

Photo by The New York Times