Gender Gap
Afghanistan

The Gender Gap in Afghanistan: A Persistent Challenge

Afghanistan continues to face one of the world’s most severe gender gaps, with disparities affecting nearly every aspect of life for Afghan women and girls. This deeply entrenched inequality has historical, cultural, and political roots that have proven resistant to change despite periods of reform.

Education

Education represents perhaps the most visible manifestation of Afghanistan’s gender gap. While literacy rates remain low overall (approximately 43% nationally), the disparity is stark:

• Male literacy: Around 55%
• Female literacy: Approximately 30%

Before the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, girls’ school enrollment had increased significantly, with millions attending school compared to virtually none during the Taliban’s first rule (1996-2001). However, since August 2021, the Taliban has banned girls from attending secondary schools (grades 7-12) and universities, reversing two decades of educational progress.

Healthcare

Women in Afghanistan face considerable health challenges, with limited access to quality healthcare contributing to:

• One of the highest maternal mortality rates globally
• Lower life expectancy compared to men
• Restricted access to reproductive healthcare
• Requirements for male guardians to accompany women to health facilities

Cultural practices limiting women’s mobility and the shortage of female healthcare providers particularly affect rural women, who often receive little or no professional medical care throughout their lives.

Economic Participation

Women’s economic participation in Afghanistan remains among the lowest worldwide:

• Female labor force participation hovers around 15-20%
• Women are predominantly restricted to agriculture, handicrafts, and teaching
• Limited access to financial services and credit
• Property ownership heavily favors men despite legal protections

Under the Taliban, women’s employment has been severely curtailed, with most women banned from government jobs and many private sector positions, driving many female-headed households into extreme poverty.

Political Representation

Despite constitutional guarantees and quota systems that briefly increased women’s political representation after 2004, Afghanistan’s gender gap in governance remains profound:

• Women have been almost entirely excluded from the Taliban’s governing structure
• Previous gains in parliamentary representation (27% of seats) have been eliminated
• Women face systemic barriers to political participation, including threats and violence
• Decision-making at community levels remains overwhelmingly male-dominated

Legal Status and Rights

The legal framework governing women’s rights has fluctuated dramatically:

• Family law heavily favors male authority
• Women face significant barriers in accessing justice systems
• Legal age of marriage is commonly ignored
• Gender-based violence remains widespread with limited legal recourse

The current Taliban administration has dismantled many legal protections for women, including shuttering the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and limiting women’s ability to travel without male guardians.

Looking Forward

Afghanistan’s gender gap presents one of the most formidable development challenges globally. International organizations warn that current restrictions threaten to create a “lost generation” of educated women. Despite these challenges, Afghan women continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience through grassroots advocacy, underground schools, and economic innovation—often at great personal risk.

Addressing Afghanistan’s gender gap will require sustained commitment to women’s rights, education, and economic opportunities, alongside respect for the country’s cultural context and acknowledgment of Afghan women’s agency in determining their future.