UN Women has released its most comprehensive assessment of Afghan women since the Taliban takeover, revealing that nearly 80% of young Afghan females are excluded from education, employment, and training opportunities. The 2024 Afghanistan Gender Index shows Afghanistan has the second-largest gender gap globally, with women achieving only 17% of their potential compared to a worldwide average of 60.7%, according to an UN press release.
The study comes nearly four years after Taliban forces regained control in the country in August 2021. Since then, Afghan women have faced exclusion from public life, with bans on secondary and higher education that will soon drive girls’ school completion rates to zero.
The report shows only 24% of Afghan women participate in the labor force compared to 89% of men. Women handle 74% of unpaid household work while men account for just 3%. At the same time, men are three times more likely to own bank accounts, according to the report. Despite these barriers, the number of women seeking employment has quadrupled since 2021, driven by economic hardship.
“Afghanistan’s greatest resource is its women and girls,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous. “Their potential continues to be untapped, yet they persevere. Afghan women are running businesses, delivering humanitarian aid and speaking out against injustice.”
The index will track gender equality progress and guide international responses to Afghanistan’s women’s rights crisis. UN Women maintains ground operations to keep Afghan women’s needs central to global humanitarian efforts.
Women make up nearly half of Afghanistan’s 44 million population, as of 2023. Yet, women are not allowed to work in most jobs, visit parks, gyms, or beauty salons, and face limits on how they move around and appear in public. They are also prohibited to study past sixth grade, and do not have access to secondary and higher education. Afghanistan is the world’s most repressive country for women, according to the UN.
