64% Think the Afghanistan Bans Are Only a Temporary Halt to Women’s Education

The Taliban’s ban on women’s education in Afghanistan during their rule from 1996 to 2001 severely violated human rights. Girls were not allowed to attend school, and women were not allowed to work outside the home.

Since the fall of the Taliban, efforts have been made to promote education for girls and women in Afghanistan, but progress has been slow, and challenges remain.

However, soon after the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021, they banned girls from secondary education. As of December 2022, the Taliban government also prohibited university education and primary education for females in Afghanistan, which sparked protests and international condemnation.

Real Research, an online survey app, attempted to gather opinions on this through a survey on the ban on women education in Afghanistan.

Here are the key findings of the survey:

• 80.12% are aware of the ban imposed on girls’ secondary education back in 2021
• 43.46% think education is still highly likely to open again for women of Afghanistan
• 49.14% believe women in Afghanistan should definitely be allowed access to education

8 in 10 Are Aware of the Taliban’s Ban on Girls’ and Women’s Education in Afghanistan

Regarding the recent news on the women’s education ban in Afghanistan, 81.51% are aware, while 18.49% are not.

Meanwhile, 80.12% are aware of the ban imposed on girls’ secondary education back in 2021. However, the remaining 19.88% are not.

Opinions on Ban on Women’s Education

When the Taliban banned women from universities, numerous opinions arose saying the ban was a “new low, further violating the right to equal education and deepening the erasure of women from Afghan society.”

Most respondents (18.82%) have a similar opinion that the bans are erasing women from Afghan society. 14.75% say the bans are a way of restricting the rights of women in Afghanistan to their households, while 13.94% say the bans limit women’s connection with the rest of the world.

The Place in the World of Women from Afghan Society

64.09% think the bans are only a temporary halt to education, while 20.25% believe the bans are a permanent stop to education. However, the rest (14.86%) believe the bans are a permanent way of isolating women from Afghan society.

The ban on women’s education also follows a wave of restrictions on women in recent months, including women being banned from parks, gyms, and public baths in the capital. As a result, 19.47% think women will likely be excluded from the whole society in the future. 20.41% believe women exclusion may happen for most parts, while 16.62% believe it could work for some parts of society.

Nevertheless, most survey respondents (29.78%) still believe women are unlikely to be excluded from society in the future.

The Future of Women’s Education in Afghanistan

43.46% of survey respondents think education is still highly likely to open again for women of Afghanistan. 22.78% think it is somewhat likely, 15.61% believe it is somewhat unlikely, and a further 13.01% say it is highly unlikely.

After all, 49.14% believe women of Afghanistan should definitely be allowed access to education. 22.49% say probably, 15.55% say probably not, and 7.71% say definitely not.

Read More: 16.81% Disagree With Inclusive Education in Schools

The Consequences and Solutions to the Ban on Women’s Education

The bans had detrimental effects on the education and economic opportunities available to Afghan women and girls. Most (15.42%) think the ban on women’s education bears negative impacts on the coming generations. Others believe it would result in social isolation of Afghan women (13.27), gender inequality (10.27%), and limited economic opportunities (9.42%).

Also Read: As Society Evolves, Gender Inequality Remains

Lastly, survey findings reveal steps to address the ban on women’s education in Afghanistan. Survey respondents suggest the following:

Working with local & international organizations to advocate for the right to education (18.18%); working with the community, religious, tribal leaders, and local officials to help lift the bans (16.51%); and offering support for women and girls returning to education with resources to catch up (14.88%).

Also Read: Nearly 65% Feel Some Roles Are Only for Men or Women