Afghan women face severe pay cuts under new Taliban decrees
It has been three years since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan. Since then, they have been systematically stripping women of their rights. Now, in addition, the country’s ruling fundamentalists have reduced by 75% the salaries of the few women who are allowed to work.
In August 2021, after the sitting president of Afghanistan fled, the Taliban entered Kabul and took control of the country. Women suffered the most, with their rights being regularly curtailed by the fundamentalists.
From the very first moments of their rule, the Taliban began to introduce increasingly drastic restrictions, orders, and bans for women. Afghan women cannot leave their homes without a male guardian; they are required to cover their faces, and they have been stripped of government roles. In 2023, the ruling fundamentalists also banned contraception and ordered the closure of all beauty and hair salons.
Afghan women over the age of 12 are also not allowed to attend school. As "Wysokie Obcasy" recalls, the UN Women's Agenda 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.
The Taliban are imposing further restrictions on women's rights
As if that were not enough, the Taliban have banned women from most professional activities. Currently, they are only allowed to work in professions which, according to Sharia law, men are not permitted to perform. These include, for example, teachers and nurses.
In recent days, a new decree has been issued, under which all female workers’ monthly salaries have been reduced to around £55 per month, regardless of the type of work performed, qualifications, or experience.
"For many women, this represents a drop of about 75% compared to their previous wages, which had already been cut by about 50% after the Taliban took power in 2021," we read on the pages of "WO".
"You can’t live on that money," a teacher cited by "WO" told Radio Azadi, who previously received around £235 per month. It is worth remembering that women in Afghanistan are often the sole breadwinners for their families.
