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A future without women: Consequences of gender apartheid in Afghanistan

July 16, 2025

Under Taliban rule since August 2021, Afghan women face institutionalized gender apartheid that has effectively erased them from public life, employment, and education. This systematic oppression has devastating social, economic, and political consequences, with UNDP estimating that excluding women from the workforce costs Afghanistan approximately $1 billion annually (5% of GDP). Despite international condemnation through UN resolutions and EU sanctions, global response has been largely symbolic with Afghan women notably excluded from diplomatic discussions, including the recent UN-sponsored gathering in Doha.

Who is affected

  • Afghan women and girls who are confined to their homes and erased from public life
  • Families who previously depended on women's leadership and income
  • Boys who are developing a sense of entitlement to dominate women
  • The entire Afghan society suffering from fractured social life and diminished cultural development
  • Afghanistan's economy, losing approximately $1 billion annually (5% of GDP) due to women's exclusion
  • The international community facing challenges in diplomatic relations with Afghanistan

What action is being taken

  • Small pockets of resistance exist through free online courses, mentoring programs, distribution of educational materials, miniature home industries, and covert schools
  • Organizations like the University of the People, FutureLearn, Afghanistan Law & Political Science Association, and Herat Online School are providing education opportunities
  • Some international donors are conditioning their aid on women's rights
  • The UN General Assembly is issuing resolutions condemning gender apartheid
  • The EU is implementing sanctions targeting individual Taliban leaders

Why it matters

  • The systematic exclusion of women results in unbalanced national decision-making and non-representative governance
  • Economic productivity is severely impacted with 8 out of 10 Afghan women banned from education, training, and employment
  • Social structures are being damaged as women are forced into subordination, early marriages, and polygamous relationships
  • Women are experiencing depression, domestic violence, and suicide due to their limited agency
  • Afghanistan cannot effectively rebuild, recover, or compete internationally while barring women from socio-economic contribution
  • The crisis is causing brain drain and increasing Afghanistan's reliance on foreign aid

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article, though it suggests potential solutions like hybrid learning programs, providing platforms for innovative women, tailoring solutions for diverse groups of women, and ensuring Afghan women's organizations and local voices are heard in any progress efforts.

Read full article from source: Global Voices