NEW YORK — Nearly four years after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, Afghan women are facing some of the harshest conditions in the world, with stark gender disparities in education, health, economic participation, and decision-making, according to a new report from UN Women released Tuesday.
The Afghanistan Gender Index — the most comprehensive assessment of women’s empowerment since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 — found that the country now has the second-widest gender gap globally. Women are achieving only 17 percent of their potential in key areas of human development, compared to the global average of 60.7 percent, the report said.
“Afghanistan’s greatest resource is its women and girls,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous. “Their potential continues to be untapped, yet they persevere. Afghan women are supporting each other, running businesses, delivering humanitarian aid, and speaking out against injustice.”
According to the report, funded by the European Union, 78 percent of young Afghan women are not in education, employment, or training — nearly four times the rate for men. Girls’ secondary school completion rates are expected to collapse to zero due to the Taliban’s bans on secondary and higher education for females, including in medical fields.
The labor force participation gap remains among the largest in the world. Only 24% of Afghan women are working, compared to 89 percent of men. Women are more likely to be confined to home-based, low-paid, and insecure jobs. Additionally, 74 percent of women are engaged in unpaid domestic labor, compared to just 3 percent of men.
The gender gap in financial inclusion is also pronounced, with men nearly three times more likely to have a bank account or use mobile money services.
Despite systemic restrictions, the report notes that more women are seeking work amid Afghanistan’s worsening economic crisis. By 2022, the number of unemployed women actively seeking jobs had quadrupled since before the Taliban takeover, while the number of employed women had doubled.
Political representation has been effectively eliminated. There are no women in the Taliban’s de facto Cabinet or local government offices, limiting women’s ability to influence policies that directly affect their lives.
Still, Afghan women continue to push for inclusive governance and find ways to raise their concerns at local and national levels, the report said.
UN Women said the Gender Index will serve as a tool for tracking gender equality and guiding national and international efforts to support Afghan women.
“We must stand with them in their pursuit of a country that reflects their rights and the aspirations of all Afghans,” Bahous said.
