Women’s Rights in Post-U.S. Afghanistan: Assessing the Impact of the Taliban's Return on Gender Equality

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 3 - 16, 30.06.2025

Ramez Shuja

Abstract

This research explores the regression of women's rights and gender equality in Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal and the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. Grounded in feminist and postcolonial theory, this research examines Taliban-imposed restrictions on education, employment, healthcare access, and women's socio-political participation. Drawing from qualitative interviews with Afghan women in diaspora and analysis of international and local reports, the study highlights the ideological underpinnings of Taliban policies, the psychological and economic toll on women, and the emergence of resistance through grassroots and digital activism. It also compares the current Taliban regime with its earlier rule (1996–2001) to assess continuity and transformation in gender policies. The paper argues for localized, culturally grounded advocacy strategies and stronger international support to counter gender apartheid in Afghanistan.

Keywords

Women Rights , Afghanistan , Taliban Regime , Patriarchy

Project Number

001

ABD Sonrası Afganistan'da Kadın Hakları: Taliban'ın Cinsiyet Eşitliğine Geri Dönüşünün Etkisinin Değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

Bu araştırma, ABD'nin Afganistan'dan çekilmesinin ve Taliban’ın Ağustos 2021'de yeniden iktidara gelmesinin ardından kadın hakları ve toplumsal cinsiyet eşitliğinde yaşanan gerilemeyi incelemektedir. Feminist ve postkolonyal kuram temelinde yürütülen bu çalışma, Taliban tarafından dayatılan eğitim, istihdam, sağlık hizmetlerine erişim ve kadınların sosyo-politik katılımına yönelik kısıtlamaları ele almaktadır. Afgan diasporasındaki kadınlarla yapılan nitel görüşmelerin yanı sıra ulusal ve uluslararası raporların analizine dayanan araştırma; Taliban politikalarının ideolojik temellerini, kadınlar üzerindeki psikolojik ve ekonomik etkileri ve tabandan gelen direniş ile dijital aktivizmin yükselişini ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca, mevcut Taliban rejimi ile önceki (1996–2001) dönemi karşılaştırarak toplumsal cinsiyet politikalarında süreklilik ve dönüşüm boyutlarını değerlendirmektedir. Makale, Afganistan'daki toplumsal cinsiyet apartheid’ine karşı kültürel bağlamlara duyarlı yerel savunuculuk stratejilerinin geliştirilmesi ve uluslararası desteğin güçlendirilmesi gerektiğini savunmaktadır.

Keywords

Kadın Hakları , Afganistan , Taliban Rejimi , Ataerkillik

Project Number

001

References

• Akbar, S. (2022). *The fight for freedom: My journey with Afghan women’s rights*. HarperCollins Press.
• Badran, M. (1995). *Feminists, Islam, and nation: Gender and the making of modern Egypt*. Princeton University Press.
• Firestone, S. (1970). *The dialectic of sex: The case for feminist revolution*. William Morrow.
• Hasht e Sub. (2022). Iranian Imam says Taliban has ‘no Sharia justification’ for depriving girls of education. https://8am.media/eng/iranian-imam-says-taliban-has-no-sharia-justification-for-depriving-girls-of-education/
• Human Rights Watch. (2023). *Report on Afghanistan*. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/afghanistan
• Kabeer, N. (2009). Women’s empowerment and the politics of gender equality in South Asia. *Women’s Studies International Forum, 32*(2), 97–105.
• Kakar, P. (2021). The role of women in the economic development of Afghanistan. *SSRN*. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3807706
• Kandiyoti, D. (2000). Old dilemmas or new challenges? The politics of gender and reconstruction in Afghanistan. *Development and Change, 31*(1), 169–199.
• Mohanty, C. T. (1988). Under Western eyes: Feminist scholarship and colonial discourses. *Feminist Review*, (30), 61–88.
• Popalzai, M., & Stambaugh, A. (2022). Taliban postpones return to school for Afghan girls above 6th grade. *CNN*. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/23/asia/taliban-girls-school-delay-afghanistan-intl
• Salehi, A. K. (2024). An inquiry into Taliban theology: Deobandism with a Pashtunwali flavor. *Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies*. https://aissonline.org/Uploads/PublicationEnglishFiles/an-inquiry-into-taliban-theology-english-7368.pdf
• Shahrani, M. N. (2022). *Afghan women under the Taliban: From liberation to repression*. University of California Press.
• Tong, R. (2009). *Feminist thought: A more comprehensive introduction*. Westview Press. UN Women. (2021). *Women’s rights in Afghanistan one year after the Taliban take-over*.
• https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2021/12/gender-alert-womens-rights-in-afghanistan
• UN Women. (2023). *Afghanistan Gender Equality Brief*. https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/Gender-country-profile-Afghanistan-Executive-summary-en.pdf
• Vora, A. (2022). *Afghan women in exile: Struggles and solidarity across borders*. Michigan University Press.