Some women in Afghanistan who once worked in international organizations and media outlets under Taliban rule, or who were later dismissed from their jobs, describe 2025 as the worst year of their lives and a year overwhelmed by despair. They say no clear future exists for women under Taliban rule. Each day, hope fades further, while psychological pressure, economic hardship, and violence against women continue to rise. Even those who have managed to keep their jobs in a few private institutions and with the United Nations live with constant fear of losing them. They say Taliban restrictions have pushed many institutions to avoid hiring women, to claim that women’s presence disrupts their work, or to pay women only half the salaries given to men.
Mehrangiz (pseudonym) is a journalist who calls 2025 the hardest and most painful year she has ever endured. After more than four years of Taliban rule, she says she still cannot accept the reality forced upon her. She explains that local media outlets deliberately hire men to avoid the complications that come with employing female journalists. At the same time, some media organizations use women’s names on project proposals to meet foreign funding requirements, since the presence of women remains a condition for support.
She says, “Discrimination never disappeared. It only changed shape. Female journalists do most of the work for very little pay, while male employees earn several times more. Even in places that claim to support journalism, some men act as if women cannot work without them. In this environment, female journalists are exploited, humiliated, and stripped of dignity. Their work is questioned, their abilities doubted, and their contributions dismissed. Many believe that women lack the capacity to work across different fields of journalism.”
Mehrangiz adds, “Every year, instead of improvement, things grow worse. I can say with certainty that working in the media in 2025 has become far more restricted and exhausting than during the first two years after the government collapsed. We live without personal safety or job security. Peace of mind no longer exists. Stress and fear have replaced it, leaving us trapped in an uncertain and discouraging future.”
Sitayish (pseudonym), once taught at Herat University before Taliban orders removed her from her position, just like thousands of other women. She says that in 2025, pressure and discrimination against women did not ease but instead became more organized and deliberate. Women, she explains, endured the harshest conditions this year and lost much of their hope for what lies ahead. The ban on female lecturers not only destroys their livelihoods and mental well-being, but also pushes universities and academic institutions into a deeper crisis.
She says, “Losing our jobs threw female lecturers into uncertainty and emotional distress. Most of us see no clear future anymore. Each day, the psychological pressure grows heavier. Years of academic achievement and teaching experience mean nothing now. This reality has weakened the quality of education and harmed female students who are already barred from attending universities.”
Sitayish adds, “As restrictions against women tighten, universities have become closed and lifeless spaces. The production of knowledge has suffered, students have lost motivation, and over time, this will weaken the country’s human and scientific potential.”
Nastaran (pseudonym), who works for the United Nations and describes 2025 as the darkest year for women in Afghanistan. During the last six months of the year, the Taliban ban forced her to work from home. She says this made it nearly impossible to manage her workload while fulfilling the need for field-based work.
She worries that if this situation continues, the United Nations may stop renewing contracts for women altogether, since staff presence in offices and field locations remains essential.
Nastaran says, “A home is not a workplace. Electricity cuts, poor internet, and isolation make serious work almost impossible. Many tasks require field presence, and office work allows faster communication and coordination. This situation has deeply affected me and constantly raises the fear of losing my contract. Being barred from the office and the field is not a minor issue. If this continues, organizations will stop hiring women, because no employer pays someone who cannot work.”
A former employee of the Herat Directorate of Education also calls 2025 the worst year for women, particularly in Herat. She lost her job after the Taliban takeover, briefly found work again, then faced renewed orders that confined her to her home. Eventually, she had no choice but to leave the country. Migration, she says, brought new struggles, including language barriers, isolation, and the challenge of adapting to an unfamiliar world.
Earlier, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reported that 90 percent of women have been excluded from employment, while only 7 percent worked outside the home in the previous Gregorian year.
A report by the United Nations Security Council Monitoring Team confirms that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan remain severe. Citing the Afghanistan Gender Index 2024 by UNICEF, the report states that eight out of ten women lack access to both education and employment. It also notes that Afghanistan has the second-largest gender gap worldwide. According to one estimate, Taliban policies toward women cost the country’s economy more than one billion dollars each year.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also reported in its latest briefing to the Security Council that officials from the Taliban Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Kandahar ordered male dentists not to treat female patients and instructed clinics to hire female dentists instead.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
سال سیاه زنان افغانستان: محرومیت و ناامیدی که زیر سلطه طالبان ادامه دارد
