- Women an increasingly influential demographic in Afghan politics
- All three frontrunners in Saturday’s election have pledged to support women’s rights
- Habiba Sarabi, Afghanistan’s first female governor, again makes history as vice-presidential candidate
- Optimism of female candidates is transmitted to the next generation
(CNN) — It was only a few short years ago — in 2001, prior to the U.S. invasion — that Afghanistan’s women were all but entirely marginalized.
With strict Taliban laws in place, half the country’s populace was barred from practically every aspect of public life, from education to voting and most occupations. Afghan women, under the Taliban, weren’t even allowed to leave their homes without a male escort, and the mandatory burqua became a visual symbol of the regime’s all-encompassing oppression.
The country still has a long way to go, but giant strides have been made since the Taliban was scattered and broken under the might of the U.S. and allied military. Women’s rights were guaranteed under the new, post-Taliban constitution, but there remains a gulf in terms of what is written and what is practiced.
Afghanistan remains far from an equal, open society, and outside the capital, Kabul, conservative values still reign. In some parts of the hinterland, the old rules still apply, even if they are no longer being enforced by the Taliban.
However, there are indications that women have taken hugely positive steps towards, if not yet equality, a much more active role in the running of the country.
And their influence has largely been welcomed. One of Saturday’s frontrunners, Abdullah Abdullah, sees the engagement of the country’s women as vital to its development. “If you want to see this country or any other country even being able to deal with the challenges and develop, it cannot happen without the role of half the population,” he told Britain’s Independent newspaper.
Since voter registration for Saturday’s elections started almost a year ago, 2.5 million names were added to the electoral roll. Of these, over half were women, according to the
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