Present+Info

=Background Informartion=

The fight for women's legal rights gained ground in the 19th century in western Europe, the United States, and Canada, and in many other areas of the world. Historically, while matriarchal societies had existed in some areas, such as southeast China (the Mosuo) and in South Bougainville near New Guinea and Australia (the Navogisi), patriarchal societies dominated most of the world and continue into the 21st century to be the predominate social structure worldwide. Women have, historically, held less economic and political power compared to men.

Womans Rights In Afghanistan __History__

In Arab countries before the introduction of Islam, women were treated practically as slaves: sold like merchandise. To be the father of a female child was a dishonor, and many baby girls would be killed. Then, with the conversion to Islam, women were given many more rights. The Koran and the teachings of Islam gave women almost equal status to men. For example, women were encouraged to get an education; they could own property; they could choose whom to marry, and they had the right to divorce. Men were still considered the supporter or the family, and had more economic control. But many Islamic countries, including Afghanistan, reverted back toward their patriarchal lifestyle as wars, time, and former beliefs kept men in the dominant place in society.

__Recent history__

Afghanistan, after several wars and different governments, came under Russian control in 1979. During their occupation, the Russians attempted to advance the status of women in this conservative, now once more male dominated, society. Although women could not have a say in their government and lived secluded lives, they were encouraged to get an education and get jobs. Women composed 70% of all teachers in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, 40% of all doctors, and 50% of all students in the university. There was strong resistance to the Russian influence in Afghanistan, and in 1988, the Russian government was forced to withdraw. In 1992, the communist government in Afghanistan was overthrown by a group of religious fundamentalists, and in 1996, another fundamentalist organization, the Taliban, took control of Kabul from them. The women of Afghanistan had suffered from the brutalities of war during the Russian occupation and then during the civil wars from 1992 to 1996, but under the Taliban, they lost all their freedoms. The Taliban, saying that they were following strict Islamic laws and claiming to want to protect the virtue of the women, imposed many restrictions upon them: forbidding them to leave their homes without a male escort, requiring them to wear a bruqa (an expensive garment that covers them completely, leaving only a mesh square for them to see out of), not allowing them to have jobs, requiring the people to paint over the windows of any house in which a woman lives, preventing male doctors from treating women, and forbidding the education of girls Today, the Taliban still restricts the livelihood of women in Afghanistan. __Politics__

Women first voted and ran for office in 1965, but since then women have not participated much in politics. Under the Taliban, women are not allowed to have any sort of job, and that includes in the government. Also, in courts, a woman’s testimony is worth only half that of a man’s and women may not petition the court directly: they must do so through a man.

__Domestic Life__

Women are not permitted to work or own property; thus, they must depend upon either a husband or an immediate male family member. Widows and women who have no male family members to provide for them are forced to beg in the streets and many die. Women are subject to beating if they leave the house without a male escort. They are not allowed to utilize family planning measures and they cannot divorce. In addition to this male domination, women must paint over the windows of the houses in which they live, forcing them to live in darkness and seclusion. This way of life causes as many as 97% of Afghanistan’s women to suffer from depression. More than half suffer from health problems. (1998 study) In the last year some steps have been taken to help improve the situation.

__Economic Rights__

When the Taliban became Afghanistan’s government, it prohibited women from working, forcing them to depend completely on their husbands. Many women, who did not have men do depend upon, turned to begging. In the last year or so, the Taliban has been lifting some of its restrictions. Women who need money to survive are allowed to work in bakeries or sometimes as secretaries in offices often run by international agencies. Also, more female doctors are being allowed to return to work to provide much needed health care to other women.

__Society__

Supposedly to protect their virtue, and to protect men from becoming corrupted by women, females are restricted in most aspects of life. They are required to wear an expensive all covering garment, a burqa. They are not permitted to draw attention to themselves by wearing bright colors or makeup, by speaking loudly, or by allowing male strangers from hearing their laughter. Women must not leave the home without a male relative escorting them. The male society considers women a lower form of life that will corrupt them. Women have little or no influence over the men that control them, but they may have influence in their own secluded world. These restrictions, making women practically invisible, have drastic effects on the attitudes of women. In cities, where females recently enjoyed many freedoms and more equal rights, they suffer from severe depression. In rural areas, which have always been more conservative, women still suffer. The hopelessness of their lives has caused deterioration in their health, but women are not permitted to see male doctors. There were very few female doctors allowed to continue practice after the Taliban took over, but recently, more female doctors have been allowed to work, opening up opportunities for improvement. Also recently, the Taliban has begun to lighten its seclusion edicts, and some women are not afraid to leave their houses without a man to accompany them.

__Education__

The Taliban closed all girls’ schools in 1997, so now women and girls are unable to receive an education. There are some home schools operating in secret, and some international humanitarian organizations are attempting to educate women in Afghanistan, but the female literacy rate is still very low, around 15%.

Women in Afghanistan have undergone many years of pain, but as the international community puts pressure on the government, perhaps they will be able to live in more comfortable ways according to their cultural values.