Kabul’s Ideological Stance; Biggest Obstacle to Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

According to a recent poll conducted by Did Press, an overwhelming majority of participants (84%) consider the “ideological stance of the Taliban’s caretaker government” to be the biggest domestic obstacle to the protection of women’s rights in the country.

The poll, which saw broad participation from social media users, revealed that only 8% of respondents viewed “public fear of repression and punishment” as a major barrier, while another 8% cited “global indifference toward women’s conditions.” Interestingly, none of the participants considered “the absence of independent women’s rights organizations” to be a decisive obstacle.

These statistics clearly indicate that Afghanistan society primarily attributes women’s rights issues to the fundamentalist ideology of the current government—an ideology that not only prevents women’s active participation in society, education, and employment but also justifies policies such as closing girls’ schools, restricting women’s freedom of movement, and depriving them of many basic rights.

On the other hand, the minimal weight given to factors like public fear or the lack of independent institutions suggests that society sees the root of the problem in the country’s governing and political structure rather than in social conditions or international support.

Conclusion

Public opinion in Afghanistan holds that as long as the ideological structure of the Taliban’s caretaker government remains unchanged—or unmoderated—there is no hope for an improvement in women’s rights.