Gender Inequality in Afghanistan Research Paper

1 Gender Inequality in Afghanistan Research Question: How has globalization impacted collective action problems of Gender Inequality that challenges Afghanistan’s sovereignty? There are many collective action problems in the world, most of it being the different kinds of inequalities that people have to face almost everyday in their lives. However, there is a certain kind of inequality that consists of pretty much every inequality there is, and that is Gender Inequality. In this research paper, I will be covering the concept of Gender Inequality in the context of the humanitarian rights issue in Afghanistan, and will be expressing why it is a crucial concern that requires awareness and a concrete solution. Equal rights for both genders is a major global issue, turning it into a collective action problem. Before we delve into all the aspects of Gender Inequality, it is important to first understand what Gender Inequality is. Gender inequality refers to the unequal treatment and opportunities experienced by individuals based on their gender. It is a pervasive form of inequality that affects societies worldwide, and it intersects with other forms of inequality such as class, race, and sexual orientation. Gender inequality is rooted in power dynamics and social relationships, where women historically have been dominated by men in various spheres of life (Canale et al.). The information effectively introduces the topic and research question because it thoroughly explains what the conflict of Gender Inequality is and how it can be identified. It expresses that gender inequality is an intricate conflict that has developed on the foundation of different power dynamics and social relationships that has discriminated against individuals and that it is not a problem of today, but also of the past from the time when power dynamics was introduced in society and males started to dominate in every field. 2 Gender Inequality is not only a one country problem, but a global problem, as explained earlier. Therefore, different countries may have different perspectives on this inequality and may interpret it differently. One of these countries is Afghanistan. Afghanistan ranks as one of the countries that has dealt with this inequality often, and continues to do so in the reign of the Taliban. The Taliban's crackdown on women's employment in the private sector, including the closure of beauty salons, is a significant assault on Afghan women's livelihoods. The Taliban's ban on women working in aid agencies is putting more women and girls in crisis, as they often go without aid. Women who protest these violations face severe consequences, including enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and torture. The Taliban continues to commit severe abuses against women's rights defenders, and Afghanistan faces a constant flow of new restrictions against women and girls (Barr). The information clearly explains how the Taliban’s return to control in Afghanistan has created a severe negative impact on women’s rights in the country. For example, it lists the way women’s human rights have been violated through harassment, arbitrary detention, assault, exile, torture, and surveillance whenever they have tried to oppose the laws imposed by the Taliban. This connects to the research question because it analyzes how gender inequality has been imposed on the women of Afghanistan from the ideologies of this conflict of people from different countries and how the Taliban has manipulated Islamic Laws into it in order to gain control over society. Islam is a religion that has given both men and women equal rights. However, the Taliban has used religious means, such as manipulating the Sharia Law in order to gain control over Afghanistan and abuse the general human rights policies. Sharia is Islam's legal system, derived from the Quran, Sunnah, and Hadith. It serves as a code for living that all Muslims should follow, including prayers, fasting, and donations to the poor. Sharia can inform every aspect of 3 daily life for Muslims, including family law, finance, and business. Islamic jurists issue guidance and rulings, called fatwas, which are considered formal legal rulings. There are five different schools of Islamic law: Hanbali, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanafi, and Jaafari (“What is Sharia law? What does it mean for women in Afghanistan?”). The Taliban's interpretation of Islamic law (Sharia Law) is influenced by the Deobandi strand of Hanafi jurisprudence and the group's lived experience as a predominantly rural and tribal society. The Taliban criticizes the 2004 constitution, which included a preamble that the nation's laws would not contravene Islam, for trying to reconcile Islamic principles with the liberal world order. The entertainment industry operating freely under Ghani is also seen as "un-Islamic." (Ibrahim and Bishara). This shows that the Taliban is not only setting a strict ideology for Afghanistan, but is also aiming to display how any Muslim country should be governed, inconsiderate of justice and blindly following the “set in stone” law. One of the reasons something can be manipulated is because it is controversial. Which is why the Taliban was able to easily manipulate the Sharia Law to their will in order to unjustly control a country and the lives of the people of it. Sharia, a religious system in Islam, is a subject of debate among Muslims and non-Muslims due to its comparison to modern legal regimes in secular countries. For example, democracy. Some Muslims believe that democracy is a Western concept imposed on Muslim countries, while others believe it has a basis in the Quran. Women's rights are also a concern, with some governments restricting their rights, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia requiring women to wear veils and be accompanied by male guardians in public places (Robinson). This information concludes how globalization can impact the perspectives of not only religious ideas, but also how they should be applied to the daily lives of the followers of these religions. For example, the different takes on democracy that both Muslims and 4 Non-Muslims can have on democracy and how the Western ideas on democracy can or cannot be incorporated in how a country should be governed. Similarly, the different ideas of scholars on Sharia Law, including both Muslims and Non-Muslims, can create different ideas on human rights and what can be socially accepted and not accepted, making the conflict of Gender Inequality controversial. Ever since the Taliban has enacted its laws based on its interpretation of the Sharia Law, there have been several impacts on the country and women’s rights. The Taliban has imposed decrees restricting women's basic rights, including freedom of expression, liberty, work, and education. Despite initial promises, they continue to enforce these restrictions, leading to threats, arrests, torture, detentions, child marriages, forced marriages, and rapes. The Taliban has issued numerous decrees and guidelines that violate women and girls' human rights, including freedom of movement. Women are not allowed to move in public spaces without a male relative, and their support system has collapsed. The Law on the Elimination of Violence against Women (EVAW Law) no longer has validity, and one in three girls are forced into marriage before their 18th birthday. Women's rights activists are concerned about Islamic schools teaching Islamist and radical ideas, and Afghan women are no longer allowed to work for the UN or education and healthcare sectors (“9 facts on women's rights in Afghanistan”). This is quite contrary to the promises made by the Taliban, when they came to power, through their spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid who assured that women will be given their rights within the boundaries of Islam when multiple international affairs handling organizations, like the UN, had raised questions on how the Taliban taking over this time will be different from taking over last time and weighed whether or not these organizations should allow the Taliban to proceed with governing the country. 5 Over time, the impacts of gender inequality has affected not only the personal lives of women, but also shaped the society they live in. Afghanistan's women's roles are influenced by social, political, and economic structures, with limited access to education and roles, often prioritizing social group identity over individual identity. Afghan men prioritize family honor and female dependents, often overriding religious texts. Many women are illiterate, and men manipulate Islamic ideologies to suppress women's lives. Some Afghans view gender equality as an elitist Western ideal, leading to backlash from men when proposed gender equality programs (Hamidi et al.). This information exposes how the mentality of many Afghans, especially men, has become more focused on saving their reputation in society than allowing the women of their house to have the freedom to live because it becomes a sort of display that those women are having to work because the men are too incompetent to earn the required money, proving that they are weak and undermined easily. This shows why these societies are mostly male dominated by expressing the fact that men manipulate the laws of Islam in order to gain control over a woman, similar to what the Taliban has done. Now that it is known how significant the problem is to solve, it is time to find a solution. Although there is no concrete solution to the Gender Inequality crisis in Afghanistan, yet, a few ideas have been brainstormed by multiple human rights activists, one of them being Roya Rahmani at the Atlantic Council. To effectively address the Afghan crisis, a more robust forum for international consultation is needed, including representatives from the United States, the UK, the European Union, key Islamic countries, and NGOs. Security strategy should be prioritized, as women's oppression can lead to terrorist groups. Female diplomats and delegations from Islamic countries should be sent for bilateral engagement, focusing on consultative meetings with Afghan women. Western aid should be shifted from emergency humanitarian 6 assistance to sustainable, large-scale economic development initiatives, focusing on women's empowerment. The internet and development projects should be prioritized to keep Afghans connected and disseminate information about the Taliban's failures (Rahmani). These provided solutions show an example of how external forces, like other countries, can help to solve the conflict in Afghanistan, alongside the citizens of it, by brainstorming ideas like providing aid from other countries and bringing women diplomats of Islamic countries for “bilateral engagements”. It also explains how the internet can be used to discreetly share information to disempower the Taliban and it can be done when the people of Afghanistan start to accept the Western ideologies of Gender Equality and begin to incorporate it in their daily lives. In order to reach a solution, it is necessary to first take action, even if it may be risky. Since the Taliban has taken over, every passing day for the women in Afghanistan feels like another day gone in which they are degraded to insignificance. Therefore, to remind them of their significance, a few brave women have risen as advocates on behalf of the helpless ones, to provide a voice to them and let them be seen. Kawkaba Nowruzi, a midwife in Ghazni province, has 18 years of experience rescuing women and children from Taliban-controlled areas. Haleema Saroor, a lawyer, has 13 years of experience in Helmand, researching women's prison conditions and developing a Penal Code System Policy. Hasina Saifi Rastgaar raises awareness about women's rights in Farah Province, promoting education and preventing violence. Jamila Saadat promotes economic growth for displaced women. Nangarhar Province faces security issues, education opportunities, justice access, violence, and fear of victimization. Nooria Safi, director of Women's Capacity Building and Development, faces challenges in Kunduz province, including traditional society, poverty, low literacy, and lack of knowledge (Amnesty International). It can be seen that these women have accepted the ideologies of what Gender 7 Equality is in the Western world, but have made sure that these ideologies do not violate any of the laws of Islam. For example, the right to education and freedom from traumatic violence. Therefore, we can conclude that Gender Inequality is not only a collective action problem because it is in multiple countries, but also because it needs interference from external forces, like other countries, in order to solve it in one country, like Afghanistan. It is crucial to cease gender inequality in countries because it can threaten the freedom to live of many people, resulting in an end far worse than imaginable. Bibliography 8 "AFGHANISTAN." UN Women, 10 June 2024, www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/Gender-country-profile-Afghanistan-Exec utive-summary-en.pdf. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025. "Afghanistan: Women's full participation in public and political life is crucial." United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, United Nations, 15 Sept. 2021, www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2021/09/afghanistan-womens-full-participation-publicand-political-life-crucial. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025. 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