Status Change for Women

Status Change for Women

It seems these days, mid November 2001, that the most talked about issue is the war currently under way in Afghanistan. It now looks to be inevitable that the Taliban regime will come to an end and a new government will be formed. For the people of Afghanistan, this most certainly means a time for change, repressive rules have been lifted and freedom is closer than ever. This could be one of the best chances for the women of Afghanistan to fight for change and to increase their status in society. The women of Afghanistan can to look to other countries, such as those in North America, to see, that the status of women can be almost equal to that of men. Throughout North America's history men have traditionally been of a higher status than that of women but today in Afghanistan women are definitely repressed and occupy a significantly lower status then that of men. North America's gender inequalities have been equalized over time due to an equal opportunity for education, economic prosperity and women entering the paid labor work force. In order for women to increase their status in Afghanistan the same steps will need to be taken.

It was not so long ago that women in North America didn't have paying jobs, couldn't vote and for the most part had to listen to what a man said. Ever since North America was settled by Europeans the roles of women have been a little different from every where else in the world. Alexis de Tocqueville noticed some of the differences in 1831 while visiting New York for the first time. This is an excerpt from a letter he wrote to his mother. "For instance, we were utterly astounded the first day to see the women come to breakfast at eight o\'clock in the morning carefully dressed for the whole day. It\'s the same, we are told, in all the private houses. One can with great propriety call on a lady at nine o\'clock in the morning." North American women were always a little different, but for the most part during this time, and for almost a hundred years after, women worked mostly in the home and held traditional roles. It wasn't until around WWI that the status of women in North America began to really change. Starting in about 1910 through the 1920's women continually became more involved in the workforce. During WWI some of the roles of women changed due to so many young men going off to war. When the 1930's arrived the status of women in North America regressed a little because of the overwhelming rate of unemployment due to the depression. As a result of this unemployment it turned out that women were the first ones to lose their jobs. Many women ended up back in the home assuming traditional roles and regressing to their original status before WWI. This all changed during WWII, women were once again thrown into the workforce, working in factories producing the food and guns needed during war time. As it turned out, the contribution that women made during WWII would help change the status of women in North America forever.

After WWII was over many of the women workers once again went back into the home to effectively produce the baby boom of the 40's and 50's. It seemed as though the roles of women were returning to that of before the war, although there was a significant change left over from the war time effort. For the most part, with the exception of some traditionalists, people wanted their children to become educated whether they were male or female. It wasn't just that women were going to high school, they were also entering

college and from 1940 through to the present women were, for the most part, graduating high school and an increasing number were graduating from collage.(see appendix 1.a) The education of women was one of the most instrumental changes that led to the reduction of gender inequalities and an overall increase in status for the women of North America. Education had been and continues to be a critical element in economic well-being. "Not only must people be well educated when they first enter the labor market, they continually need to learn new skills to take advantage of new opportunities that arise."1

This new educated generation of North American women had different roles now within the home as well as out of the home. Women attending higher education were now putting off getting married until their early to mid 20's. The new generation of women wanted to make sure they could provide for themselves before they entered into a family relationship. The invention of the birth control pill gave women the choice of having sex without having a family. All of these factors led to a stronger, more independent generation of women who where ready to fight for their own independence. Throughout the 70's they did just that, changing laws and challenging the social norms that were left over from a previous and different time.

The equalization between men and women in North America was quite remarkable in that the situation changed so much in a relatively short period of time. At the present time the situation for women in Afghanistan is one of absolute repression. The women in North America have never held such a low status as the women in

Afghanistan, although the same steps that brought prosperity to North American women are needed in order for Afghan women to achieve the same level of status in their society. The present war against the Taliban is probably the perfect opportunity for an Afghan women to increase the status of all classes of women. The war against the Taliban is being aided by democratic countries in North America and around the world. It is reasonable to assume that when these allied forces enact a new government that it will be chosen in a democratic fashion. If women are allowed to vote in the next election it could be one of the first steps in their road to equality. The women of Afghanistan also need to fight to get their children educated, as well as themselves. Another critical task that the Afghan women must embark upon is entering the workforce. Before discussing the future of the women of Afghanistan it is important to look at where they are now in order to determine what their greatest challenges will be in the future.

Under the Taliban regime afghan women are more repressed now then they ever were. The Taliban occupation took place in September 1996. Before that time women in Afghanistan were educated and employed: 50% of the students and 60% of the teachers at Kabul University were women, and 70% of school teachers, 50% of civilian government workers, and 40% of doctors in Kabul were women1. After September 1996 life for women in Afghanistan took a turn for the worse. The Taliban enacted laws