Deep Inequality: 80 Percent of Young Afghan Women Deprived of Education, Work, and Skills Training

Photo: REUTERS/Parwiz

The UN Women section has stated in its recent report that about 80 percent of young women in Afghanistan are deprived of education, schooling, and employment.

In this report, published on Tuesday (June 17) regarding Afghanistan's gender index in 2024, it is mentioned that after the Taliban’s takeover, Afghanistan is experiencing the second-largest gender gap in the world, ranking just after Yemen.

According to the findings of this index, the inequality between women and men in areas such as health, education, financial access, and participation in decision-making reaches 76 percent.

Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, expressed concern about the current situation and said, "The greatest asset of Afghanistan is its women and girls. Their potential continues to be ignored, but they stand firm, support each other, start businesses, provide humanitarian services, and raise their voices against injustice."

The report also states that only 17 percent of Afghan women are able to fully utilize their capacities in terms of choice and access to opportunities, while the global average for this index is 60.7 percent.

The report further emphasizes that 78 percent of young Afghan women are neither in education, nor employed, nor in skills training. According to the report, following the ban on secondary and higher education for girls, including medical education, the graduation rate for girls from secondary school will soon drop to zero.

On the other hand, the gender gap in Afghanistan’s labor market is also described as deep and alarming. According to the report, only 24 percent of Afghan women participate in the labor market, while this figure is 89 percent for men.

This comes as, after the Taliban's return to power, girls and women have been deprived of their most basic human rights, including the right to education, work, and social participation.