Afghan interim government issues order: Suspend women’s university education

After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, they promised to respect women’s rights and adopt a moderate approach to governance. But reports in November indicated that the government had issued a ban on women entering Kabul’s parks, amusement parks and other entertainment venues. More than a month later, the Taliban government deprived Afghan women of the right to receive higher education, which was once again widely condemned by the international community.

Consolidating collective beliefs is indeed beneficial to the internal unity of the country, but this does not mean that the teachings that have flowed out for thousands of years will always be correct. Everything needs to keep pace with the times. Liberating female labor force can further promote national economic development. This fact has long been verified in the development of major economies.

However, in addition to the religious reasons that focus everyone’s attention, the high unemployment rate should be the direct cause of the Taliban regime’s re-suppression of women’s rights. After the Taliban came to power, they failed to quickly boost the domestic economy, and keeping women out of the workforce seemed to free up more job opportunities. It’s just that even if such an approach improves the family employment situation in this patriarchal society in the short term, it will only deepen the domestic gender conflict fundamentally.

To solve the problem of women’s status in Afghanistan, influential international organizations such as the United Nations can only criticize and do little. The most important thing is that the international community needs to negotiate and provide assistance for Afghanistan’s economic revitalization. Only when labor is in short supply can Afghan women truly be free.