Taliban cuts Afghan women's wages by 75% amidst rights crackdown
It's been three years since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan. Since then, they have systematically stripped women of more and more rights. Now, the ruling fundamentalists have also reduced by 75% the salaries of the few women who are allowed to work.
3:07 PM EDT, June 23, 2024
In August 2021, after the sitting president of Afghanistan fled, the Taliban entered Kabul and took over the country. The biggest sufferers in this were women, whose rights have been regularly restricted by the fundamentalists.
From the very first moments of their rule, the Taliban began imposing increasingly drastic restrictions, orders, and bans on women. Afghan women cannot leave their homes without a male guardian, are ordered to cover their faces, and have been stripped of government positions. In 2023, the ruling fundamentalists additionally banned contraception and demanded the closure of all beauty and hair salons.
From the age of 12, Afghan girls are also not allowed to attend school. As "Wysokie Obcasy" reminds us, the UN Women's Agency recently reported that the ban on education is linked to a 25% increase in child marriage rates and a 45% increase in early childbirth rates.
Taliban introduces more restrictions on women's rights
As if that weren't enough, the Taliban have banned women from engaging in most professional activities. Currently, they are only allowed to work in professions that, according to Sharia law, men cannot perform. These include, among others, teachers and nurses.
Recently, a new decree was issued that reduced the monthly salaries of all female employees to about $70 per month, regardless of the type of work performed, qualifications, and experience.
"For many women, this means a drop of about 75% compared to their previous salaries, which had already been cut by about 50% after the Taliban took power in 2021," reads "WO."
"You can't survive on this kind of money," said a teacher who previously earned about $300 per month to Radio Azadi, quoted by "WO." It is worth noting that women in Afghanistan are often the sole breadwinners for their families.
