Situation of Afghan women – Summary report of country-wide women’s consultations

This brief presents the perspectives of women across Afghanistan on their situation and priorities in the wake of the latest rollbacks on women’s rights and gender equality. It offers women’s recommendations to the international community on key issues, including the 4 April 2023 ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations and an extension of the 24 December 2022 ban stopping Afghan women from working in national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

To develop this brief, UN Women Afghanistan, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) undertook consultations reaching 407 Afghan women. This process collected data from 181 participants between 18 and 26 April 2023 in Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Baghlan, Bamyan, Balkh, Nangarhar, Kunar, and Laghman. Between 20 April and 12 May, 226 one-on-one telesurveys took place with women in 20 provinces, covering urban and rural areas. Women consulted included a mixture of heads of households, internally displaced persons, rural and urban residents, and employed and unemployed women. Participants were diverse in terms of age, marital status, ethnicity, and educational background. One consultation with men was part of a pilot to understand their views on gender equality and women’s rights.