Women in Afghanistan were not always under house arrest and forbidden by law to leave their homes unchaperoned by a male relative. Once upon a time in pre-Taliban days Afghan women had access to professional careers, university-level education, shops selling non-traditional clothing, public transportation, and public spaces, all of which they happily navigated freely and without supervision.
Prior to the rise of the Taliban, women in Afghanistan were protected under law and increasingly afforded rights in Afghan society.
Women received the right to vote in the s; and as early as the s, the Afghan constitution provided for equality for women.
There was a mood of tolerance and openness as the country began moving toward democracy. Women were making important contributions to national development. Afghan women had been active in humanitarian relief organizations until the Taliban imposed severe restrictions on their ability to work. These professional women provide a pool of talent and expertise that will be needed in the reconstruction of post-Taliban Afghanistan.
A record store in Kabul. A co-ed biology class at Kabul University. Afghan university students, Photo credit: Dr. Bill Podlich, Retronaut. Public transporation in Kabul. University students, early s. Women working in one of the labs at the Vaccine Research Center. Mothers and children playing at a city park—without male chaperones. She would be slut-shamed or worse for wearing this dress in modern Afghanistan. Via Retronaut and Zilla of the Resistance. Email Address.
