Essay On Women's Rights In Afghanistan

Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

As Afghanistan has evolved over time, the rights of its citizens have altered accordingly. The women’s population experienced a great amount of change as this country has seen a range of leaders who have ultimately decided their fate. These women have grown to be accustomed to disparaging expectations and standards as they are treated inferior to men. Women’s rights in Afghanistan have been largely impacted by the country’s past and current political state, as well as the imbalanced standards women in the current society have been obliged to follow.
Before the soviet invasion, and before the Taliban made their surface, women’s rights in Afghanistan were in a relatively steady and progressing state. (The Week UK) Under a somewhat stable leadership, the 20th century was a period of advancement for these women. Several reforms were made aimed to improve rights such as education, freedom of press, health care, and others. (PBS: “Timeline…”) The now enforced dress code of the modern day country was practically absent. (The Week UK) Afghan women also gained the right to vote in the early 20th century, only a year after women in Britain gained theirs in 1918. They continued to make progress in 1923; a constitution was created that guaranteed equal rights and education to both men and women. (PBS: “Timeline…”)

Russia invading Afghanistan in 1979 marked the beginning of the end for all the new freedoms the earlier decades had brought. (The Week UK) As Afghanistan has no doubt been known to be connected to war, these women have suffered the consequences. Over the last several decades, the country has been inhabited by U.S troops as well as communist soviet troops. As Afghanistan is dominated by militant groups and the Islamic Taliban, women’s rights have been more often than not taken advantage of for political gain. (Amnesty