User:Myousafi/Women in Afghanistan

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Women in Afghanistan
Women's rights in Afghanistan have oscillated back and forth depending on the time period. Women officially gained equality under the 1964 constitution. However, these rights were taken away in the 1990s through different temporary rulers such as the Taliban during the ongoing civil war. Especially during Taliban rule, women had very little to no freedom, specifically in terms of civil liberties. Ever since the Taliban regime was removed following the September 11 attacks in the United States, women's rights gradually improved under the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and women were once again de jure equal to men under the 2004 constitution, which was heavily based on the 1964 constitution. However, women's rights are still complicated by some groups (particularly ruralities) that wish a return to pre-1964 inequality, which continues to cause international concern. When the Taliban took most of Afghanistan again in 2021, concern about the future for women in the country increased'''. Women’s rights have continued to decrease since the new 2021 Taliban regime: women face restrictions in travel, education, and employment.  As of May 7th, 2022, women are once again required by law to wear a head to toe covering when outside of the home. When travelling, they are required to be accompanied by a Mahram otherwise may be subjected to face imprisonment '''. '''As for employment, female workers have recently been told by Taliban officials to stay home and not return to the workforce until further notice. '''

Education[edit]
Further information: Education in Afghanistan Female students using the Internet at Herat University in the western Afghan city of Herat.

Female school students in Samangan Province (2006)

Education in Afghanistan was gradually improving over the last decade, though there was yet work to bring it to the international standard. Since the recent 2021 Taliban takeover, education for women has suffered great drawbacks Although the presence of women in higher education has seemed to increase in the last few decades, overall access to education for women has declined . The literacy rate for females is merely 24.2%. There are around 9 million students in the country. Of this, about 60% are males and 40% females. Over 174,000 students are enrolled in different universities around the country. About 21% of these are females. A biology class at Kabul University during the late 1950s or early 1960s.

In the early twentieth century, education for women was extremely rare due to the lack of schools for girls. Occasionally girls were able to receive an education on the primary level but they never moved past the secondary level. During Zahir Shah's reign (1933–1973) education for women became a priority and young girls began being sent to schools. At these schools, girls were taught discipline, new technologies, ideas, and socialization in society.

Kabul University was opened to girls in 1947 and by 1973 there were an estimated 150,000 girls in schools across Afghanistan. Unfortunately, marriage at a young age added to the high drop out rate but more and more girls were entering professions that were once viewed as only being for men. Women were being given new opportunities to earn better lives for both themselves and their families. However, after the civil war and the takeover by the Taliban, women were stripped of these opportunities and sent back to lives where they were to stay at home and be controlled by their husbands and fathers.

During the Taliban regime, many women who had previously been teachers began secretly giving an education to young girls (as well as some boys) in their neighborhoods, teaching from ten to sixty children at a time. The homes of these women became community homes for students, and were entirely financed and managed by women. News about these secret schools spread through word of mouth from woman to woman.

Each day young girls would hide all their school supplies, such as books, notebooks and pencils, underneath their burqas to go to school. At these schools, young females were taught basic literary skills, numeracy skills, and various other subjects such as biology, chemistry, English, Quranic Studies, cooking, sewing, and knitting. Many women involved in teaching were caught by the Taliban and persecuted, jailed, and tortured.