The Rise and Fall of Women Rights in Afghanistan

The struggle for women’s rights in Afghanistan stretches back to the nineteenth century. The movement has waxed and waned, but advances have almost always been followed by retreats. The collapse of Afghan government is due to a wide variety of factors. Of these, the equality and growing prominence of Afghan women has been negligible, yet it is likely that women will pay the highest price for this collapse. In this essay I will discuss the rise and fall of women’s rights in Afghanistan before and after 9/11, highlighting the social reforms, their positive and negative impacts and the role of state and non-state actors in supporting and/or reversing women’s rights.