\n
<\/p>\n
But recently, the level of participation has reached a new low \u2013 zero.<\/p>\n
Zero women in national or local decision-making bodies.<\/p>\n
Zero girls projected to be in secondary education following a December 2024 ban.<\/p>\n
These numbers are part of the index released Tuesday by gender equality agency\u00a0UN Women which is the most comprehensive study on gender inequality in Afghanistan since the Taliban resumed de facto control in 2021.<\/p>\n
It paints a sobering picture of the state of gender equality in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince [2021], we have witnessed a deliberate and unprecedented assault on the rights, dignity and very existence of Afghan women and girls. And yet, despite near-total restrictions on their lives, Afghan women persevere,\u201d said Sofia Calltorp, UN Women chief of humanitarian action, at a\u00a0briefing in Geneva.<\/p>\n
The report released by UN Women noted that while the Taliban regime has presided over \u201cunparalleled\u201d gender inequality, disparities existed long before 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe issue of gender inequality in Afghanistan didn\u2019t start with the Taliban. Their institutionalised discrimination is layered on top of deep-rooted barriers that also hold women back<\/strong>,\u201d Ms. Calltorp said.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the index, Afghanistan currently has the second-worst gender gap in the world, with a 76 per cent disparity between women\u2019s and men\u2019s achievements in health, education, financial inclusion and decision-making.<\/p>\n Afghan women are currently realizing only 17 per cent of their potential<\/strong>, and recent policies by the de facto government \u2014 including the December 2024 ban on women in secondary education and the increasingly stringent restrictions on women\u2019s movement \u2014 will perpetuate and perhaps worsen this under-realized potential.<\/p>\n This sort of systematic exclusion of women from society at all levels not only impedes progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and gender equality but also exacerbates poverty and instability more broadly, making it harder for the economy to diversify labour sources.<\/p>\n \u201cAfghanistan\u2019s greatest resource is its women and girls. Their potential continues to be untapped<\/strong>,\u201d said UN Women Executive Director\u00a0Sima Bahous.<\/p>\n Right now, only 24 per cent of women are part of the labour force, compared to 89 per cent of men. Continued protracted economic strife has led to the number of women in the workforce increasing.<\/p>\n \u201cOverlapping economic, political, and humanitarian crises \u2014 all with women\u2019s rights at their core \u2014 have pushed many households to the brink. In response \u2013 often out of sheer necessity \u2014 more women are entering the workforce,\u201d Ms. Calltorp said.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, women are still predominantly working in lower-paid and less secure positions and are overwhelmingly responsible for all unpaid domestic work.<\/p>\n Ms. Calltorp noted that despite the \u201cdevastating\u201d daily constraints that Afghan women face, they continue to advocate for themselves and their rights.<\/p>\n \u201c[Afghan women] continue to find ways to run businesses and advocate for their rights \u2013 and the rights of all Afghans\u2026Their courage and resilience spans generations,\u201d Ms. Calltorp said.<\/p>\n Alongside a deteriorating gender equality landscape, the aid outlook in Afghanistan is increasingly bleak with only 18 per cent of the 2025 humanitarian response plan for Afghanistan funded.<\/p>\n This is having tangible impacts on the ground, leading UN agencies and partners to\u00a0call for action and funds.<\/p>\n \u201cTime and time again in Afghanistan, we have seen how donor support can be the difference between life and death\u2026We make an urgent appeal to donors to increase flexible, timely and predictable funding,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n Women, girls and other vulnerable groups are particularly impacted by these funding shortages \u2014 300 nutrition sites for malnourished mothers and children have shut and 216 gender-based violence points have suspended work impacting over one million women and girls.<\/p>\nSystematic exclusion and social effects<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Stark choices<\/strong><\/h2>\n