KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — Marking International Workers’ Day, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that women’s participation in Afghanistan’s labor force has plummeted to just 5% due to sweeping Taliban-imposed restrictions.
In a statement released Thursday, the organization said this figure stood at around 19% before the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. It described Afghan women’s access to formal employment as now “nearly impossible.”
According to HRW, Taliban policies have shuttered most jobs outside the home for women. The group’s so-called morality police frequently harass and detain women found working in public spaces.
Even in sectors where women’s employment is not explicitly banned, the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions that hinder access to paid work. These include requiring women to be accompanied by a male guardian (mahram) at their workplace and forbidding their voices from being heard in public, barriers that disproportionately affect unmarried women.
The rights group warned that the sharp decline in women’s workforce participation, coupled with Taliban restrictions, has driven more families into extreme poverty.
Despite these challenges, HRW noted that many Afghan women continue to resist. Some have started small businesses outside their homes or turned to online platforms to earn a living.
The organization called on the international community to stand with Afghan women in defending their right to “bread, work, and freedom.”
The Taliban have barred women from working in government offices and in both domestic and international NGOs. Currently, women are only permitted to work in education, healthcare, and limited roles in security—but even then, they are often required to travel with a male guardian.
