Women Breadwinners in Afghanistan Face Crisis as Employment Restrictions Deepen Poverty

The persistent and stringent restrictions imposed by the interim government on the work and social activities of women have plunged millions of families that rely on women as breadwinners into acute poverty. According to international organizations, over eleven million women and girls are now facing an urgent humanitarian crisis…

Women Breadwinners Face Employment Bans Amidst Economic Crisis

The extensive and repeated restrictions on women’s rights to work and education by the interim government have completely undermined the economic foundations of many needy families in Afghanistan. Following the re-establishment of this government in August 2021, decrees were issued prohibiting women from holding jobs in government offices. This policy extended to the private sector by the end of 2022 and reached the United Nations offices in 2023; decisions that have led the lives of millions of citizens, especially those women who were the sole breadwinners of their households, into a state of famine and extreme poverty.

Stark Accounts of Absolute Poverty in Herat and Kabul

One woman from Herat, who is the sole provider for her four children under the age of eighteen, revealed her desperate situation in an interview with the media. Having lost her government job due to the new decrees, she stated she has had no income for the past five years and cannot even afford to refill her cooking gas cylinder. She commented on the current situation compared to previous years, explaining that women used to work with dignity, but now most unemployed women are willing to accept charity just to feed their children.

Meanwhile, another woman in Kabul, who used to work with her husband at a non-governmental organization before the regime change, claims they are now in such dire circumstances that she has to save potato peels in the refrigerator for future meals. She emphasized that she was once able to help several other families financially, but now she is faced with closed doors when trying to borrow just five thousand Afghanis.

UN Statistics on Emergency Situations for Female-Headed Families

In parallel, the UN Women’s Organization and the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group have reported that due to the severe women’s rights crisis and blocked employment opportunities, close to eleven million women and girls urgently need humanitarian assistance. Findings from these international organizations reveal that eighty-three percent of families led by women have identified unemployment and absolute poverty as their primary challenges. Additionally, nearly forty-three percent of these families have been in an emergency humanitarian situation over the past years and have been forced to make dangerous and irreversible decisions for survival.

Interim Government’s Stance on International Criticism

Despite repeated warnings from international monitoring bodies and the United Nations regarding the ban on women’s work, which has severely impacted aid delivery and distribution, government officials have persistently maintained their position. Spokespersons for the interim government argue that the rights of all citizens, especially women, are assured within the framework of Islamic law and that suspending jobs in offices does not equate to completely eliminating them; a response that human rights organizations believe starkly contradicts the realities on the ground.