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It has been nearly four years since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.
Since then, 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.
They continue to find ways to run businesses and advocate for their rights – and the rights of all Afghans.
They serve on the frontlines as humanitarians, journalists and community leaders. Their courage and resilience spans generations.
But we must also confront the devastating cost of the daily constraints they face.
Today, UN Women released the 2024 Afghanistan Gender Index – the most comprehensive assessment of women’s empowerment and gender equality in Afghanistan in the country since August 2021.
The Index assesses Afghanistan’s progress against eight Sustainable Development Goals.
And the findings are stark.
The report reveals that Afghanistan now has the second-widest gender gap in the world, with a 76 per cent disparity between women’s and men’s achievements in health, education, financial inclusion, and decision-making.
On average, Afghan women are realizing only 17 per cent of their full potential to make choices and access opportunities.
That’s less than one-third of the global average for women.
Nearly eight out of ten young Afghan women are now excluded from education, employment, and training – almost four times the rate for young men.
We also examined women’s participation in the workforce.
Our analysis shows that Afghanistan has one of the largest gender gaps in labour force participation anywhere in the world.
Just 24 per cent of women are participating in the workforce, compared to 89 per cent of men.
Women’s employment fell by 25 per cent in the 18 months to the end of 2022 alone, according to data from other UN agencies.
By comparison, men’s employment fell by 7% in the same period.
Now, overlapping economic, political, and humanitarian crises – all with women’s rights at their core – have pushed many households to the brink.
In response – often out of sheer necessity – more women are entering the workforce.
Many have no choice but to take whatever work they can find – even on the margins – just to help put food on the table.
And for those who do manage to work, it is often in lower-paid, less-secure, and informal roles.
Women also take on an exponentially greater share of unpaid domestic work.
The findings are equally grim when it comes to women’s participation in decision-making.
No women hold positions in the de facto Cabinet or in sub-national governance structures – silencing their voices in decisions that directly shape their lives.
And yet again, Afghan women continue to push forward.
Some still find ways to raise their concerns with the de facto authorities, both nationally and at the local level – often at great personal cost.
UN Women – as part of the wider UN commitment in Afghanistan – stands alongside them.
And we continue to engage with the de facto authorities to negotiate exemptions and find ways to safeguard, support and empower Afghan women and women-led organizations.
This report will be a vital tool in those efforts – helping us to advocate for change, end harmful practices, and uphold and advance the rights of women and girls.
It notes that the issue of gender inequality in Afghanistan didn’t start with the Taliban.
Their institutionalized discrimination is layered on top of deep-rooted barriers that also hold women back.
The international community must respond with a long-term vision – addressing the current crisis while also tackling the systemic drivers of inequality.
So, today, UN Women calls on global partners to take three urgent steps:
- First, commit to strengthening women-led civil society organizations in Afghanistan, including through long-term, flexible funding.
- Second, ensure that at least 30% of all funding for Afghanistan supports initiatives that directly advance gender equality and women’s rights.
- And third, facilitate the meaningful participation of Afghan women and girls in discussions that impact their lives and the future of their country.
The choices we make now will reveal what we stand for as a global community.
If the world tolerates the erasure of Afghan women and girls, it sends a message that the rights of women and girls everywhere are fragile and expendable.
We cannot accept this dangerous precedent.
Afghan women and girls haven’t given up and we will not give up on them.
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