Afghanistan Women Work

Before reading The Underground Girls of Kabul I assumed women in Afghanistan had at least some semblance of a meaningful life. I assumed female children had the opportunity to go to school. I assumed they were treated on a human level, and I assumed there was hope for equality in the not too distant future. None of these things seem to be the case. For the majority of women in Afghanistan your life is pre-determined from the moment you are born. “The ownership of an Afghan girl is literally passed on from one male—her father—to the one who becomes her husband. He will take over the ruling of her life, down to the smallest details if he is so inclined.”(Page 44).

"And in Afghanistan, 85% of women are illiterate and 50% of girls are married or engaged by the age of 12."("Life as an Afghan women”, n.d. para 1)

Many families only allow their daughters to attend all-girls schools close to their home and not many of these schools exist. Other families believe it is unnecessary for girls to be educated because the woman’s place is at home, not in the economy. “Life as an Afghan Woman” explains, “Schools for girls have been burned down, hundreds of teachers educating girls have been threatened or killed,...[and] physically harmed…. Only forty percent of Afghan girls attend elementary school, and only one out of twenty girls attend school beyond sixth grade.” Education has been presented to girls, but because of the lack of girls attending, this advancement of women’s education has not made as large of an impact as anticipated. Central Statistical Organization states “Based on the data of Statistical Yearbook 2014, the total numbers of civil servants of the government are 398,195 persons of which, 77.8 percent male and 22.2 percent are females.” Women have much less involvement in government and it is rooted from the lack of education received by the women as a young girl. A 2014 data analysis from the Central Statistical Organization shows in the “Zabul province in terms of girls’ enrolment in school is at the lowest level as girlboy ratio is 22/78.” Education equality has long suffered throughout Afghanistan due to the results of a patriarchal society, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t looking up in the

Near the end of the competitive Space Race in the early 1970s, a Soviet institution joined forces with a young Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory to garner a greater understanding of the subatomic world. Tomorrow, the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia turns 60 and is heralded as a long-running Fermilab collaborator.

Education is one of the most important contributors to having a successful future. In developed countries such as North America boys and girls are fortunate enough to have access to an unbiased education system. Therefore, allowing children to have countless opportunities. However, in countries like Afghanistan girls are marginalized and neglected the right to learn. Afghanistan is a country of war, where women and girls are often the worst victims. In 2011, Afghanistan was known as the most dangerous place in the world for a girl to be born (Kissane). Malala Yousufzai, a female education activist was also a victim of war. Yousufazi was shot in the head and neck for advocating for girls and their rights to have access to education. Similarly, to Yousufzai many women in Afghanistan stand up for their entitlement to having equality. Those courageous women often become victims of abuse and are often killed. Investing in girls’ education is critical, not only is it life-altering for a girl’s future, but it’s also poses benefits to society. By allowing Afghan girls access to educating we are also promoting better socioeconomic s, a reduction in child marriages, and an improvement in mortality rates.

53% of the women in Afghanistan will be married by the age of eighteen. ("Afghanistan: Child Marriage, Domestic Violence Harm Progress | Human Rights Watch.") In the novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, two girls, no older than seventeen, became married to a man far too old for them. When they become young wives, they are forced to grow up much faster than they should, and face things young girls shouldn’t have to face. A Thousand Splendid Suns, written by Khaled Hosseni, analyzes the hardships women in Afghanistan endure yet eventually overcome.

1. Abu Lughod argues that the “liberation” from burqas, wanted by American women for Afghan women, is an extension of colonialism and western domination because the western women fail to understand what liberation is for the Afghan women. Western women think that the Afghan women are unhappy with their religion because it physically restricts them. On the contrary, Afghan women like their burqas because they feel it brings them closer to Allah. They also culturally disagree with the openness of American fashion. The idea that western women do not take into account the Afghan woman’s perspective on life, and automatically assume that they are trapped by their way of life, can be compared to America’s way of “helping” nations that they believe

Females are discriminated against, mistreated, and are valued less since women and girls are not allowed to attend school and higher education. There are approximately 35 million girls not enrolled in elementary school. This explains why two-thirds of illiterate people over the age of 15 are females. Malala Yousefszai is an advocate for girls’ education all over the world. We learned that she was shot by the Taliban for standing up for education when we had to watch the video where she was on The Daily Show. Malala said that men don't want women to get an education, because then women would become more powerful. Having an education brings power. Her father was a great encouragement for her because he spoke out

In the realm of Afghan marriage, women are sometimes granted the opportunity for an arranged marriage, although consequences may still ensue. Arranged marriage is just one of the many ways women are married off in Afghanistan, as well as other countries around the world. The women, who were groomed for marriage from birth, are sought after by the suitor’s relatives. The same goes for the suitors, although the men are often the ones who instigate and ask for the woman’s hand in marriage. While it may seem obvious why the two are marrying, they may happen for different reasons. “There are two types of arranged marriages in the Afghan society: those conducted for the sincere happiness of the couple, and those that resemble business transactions conducted primarily as a means to settle deals with families,” (Bashir 1). Sometimes the woman and man find each other and are pleased with one another. This is similar to Tariq and Laila’s relationship in that they found love together and their families approved it. However, it is known that things do not work out for the two at the time. Although some of the arranged marriages end happily, there is another side to them. Sometimes poor families sell off their daughters to pay off a debt or settle a feud. While these women are technically given the option to refuse, it does not come without consequences. Journalist Hannah Spruce explores this idea in further detail when she emphasizes that, “Some children who refuse to consent may find

In America, girls and boys across the country have the privilege to be enrolled in an educational system. For thirhteen years, students are taught by college educated teachers and learn material to help us move forward in our carrier. Americans take this opportunity without even thinking about it, but do not realize how much students take this for granted. In the school I have been placed in, my teacher took it upon herself to show us education in different cultures, and the outcome of the lesson was shocking for me. In the book A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, readers realize how much women are looked down upon in Afghanistan, yet it was eye opening for me to see what these girls are missing out on. From birth, they are categorized are lesser than men. Never getting the same chances, their life is centered around pleasing their husband. Education is not even an option for most women. I believe all women should have the same opportunity in this world, despite what country they reside in.

Over 62 million girls around the world are denied an education. Some start elementary school, but most don’t even make it to junior high. The girls in Swat Valley, Pakistan are specifically told that they cannot go to school by the Taliban. According to the

The Taliban became responsible for punishing those who committed crimes by killing the criminals. These acts started a small fear in the Afghanistan people. Soon, the Taliban group became a well armed and well funded militia with the support of a province in Pakistan. As soon as fear stirred among the Afghani people, the president of Afghanistan, Burhanuddin Rabbani, tried to create an alliance against the Taliban in Kabul, the capitol. This alliance fell through, and the president eventually fled Afghanistan. In December of 1995, the Taliban took hold of Afghanistan as a result.

In most countries, women have less access to education than their male counterparts. According to UNESCO (2013), of the 110 million children out of school in developing nations, 60 percent are girls; women also represent nearly two-thirds of the world's illiterate population. Some countries are even worse than others. Examples include the fact that nine out of ten Afghan women are illiterate, and the shocking truth that only one in twenty attend school beyond the sixth grade. Chad is another prime example of the disparity between men’s and women’s educational standards- only ten percent of Chadian girls have completed elementary school. Women with higher education tend to be healthier, earn more, have fewer children, and provide

In 2010 a young Afghan women had her nose and ears cut off. Aesha Mohammadzai, first appeared on the cover of time magazine in 2010, shared her story on how her husband and in-laws cut off her nose and ears as punishment for trying to run away. Mohammadzai said: “Every day I was abused by my husband and his family. Mentally and physically; Then one day it became unbearable so I ran away." Three years later Mohammadzai began her reconstructive surgery. Aesha Mohammadzai now lives with a foster family, and is studying English in school. A true inspiration to Afghan women, Aesha Mohammadzai tells women who are being abused to stay strong and never lose hope (Phillip Caulfield.2013). This is just one of the many common punishments Afghan women receive. Mohammadzai is proof that still in today’s society women in Afghanistan are still suffering with extreme punishments. The life expectancy for a woman in Afghanistan is 44, one of the lowest in the world (Life as an Afghan Women.2013). Throughout the years, women have been forced to live in fear because of the way they have been treated. The consequences of punishments are not balanced with the actions that are performed, and women fight to hold their own. Afghan women have struggled with extreme, cruel and violent punishments. Women’s punishments are the result of the loss of their basic human rights.

Photography has come a long way to where we are today, especially with digital cameras, and with manipulation that can create almost anything we want to see. Since Leonardo da Vinci’s time, the camera obscura was available, however, the problem was to find a way for the images to be printed. The commercial use of photography came later as in the earlier times artists, such as David Octavius Hill, used these merely as a tool to create the frescoes he painted – that is, of “the first general synod of the Church of Scotland in 1843.” Yet, the photographer’s art evolved to the point of where there was now an art to be seen in the photograph. This prompted more and more people to request the original of the painting – that is, the photograph (Benjamin