The Plight of Women in Afghanistan

Women in Afghanistan continue to have lives that--in the words of 17th century philosopher Thomas Hobbes--are "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short." With the possible exception of Sub-Sahara Africa, Afghanistan is maybe the worst place in the world for females of all ages. The reasons for this desperate state of affairs vary, but invariably they consist of poverty, illiteracy, lack of condition care and the pernicious succeed of religious fundamentalism.

Afghanistan is desperately poor. In 2009 the per capita wage was under 0 per year--too low to appear on international statistical charts. This shape compares with ,990 in China, ,450 in Poland, and ,500 in the United States. The per capita wage is unlikely to growth appreciably in the next 50 years because the country does not have a viable tax base or the infrastructure that is needed to keep economic development.

News From Afghanistan

The whole of illiteracy in Afghanistan is startling. According to researchers with the United Nations, an estimated 50 per cent of Afghan men cannot read or write. The illiteracy rate for women is even higher--estimated at 79 per cent. In areas of the country ruled by the Taliban, girls are forbidden to go to school. The only education for boys involves rote memorization of religious tracts.

Women do not receive any meaningful condition care in Afghanistan. One measure of this lack of care is the country's maternal mortality rate of 1,600 per 100,000 women. This compares with 7 per 100,000 in the United Kingdom and the United States. Afghan women must seek permission from husbands, fathers or brothers to see a doctor. If the men refuse, the women's healing needs remain unmet. In the rare cases when Afghan women are allowed to go to a clinic or hospital, they may be seen by female clinic workers only.

Religious fundamentalism has its roots in poverty and illiteracy, but also in the fear and suspicion that are part of the everyday lives of Afghan people. Women have no rights, and they may be beaten with impunity by "religious police" if the women are not in the business of a husband or male relative; also, religious police may beat Afghan women if they think the women are not dressed properly. Uniformed police, if present, never interfere.

The United States is presently spending billion monthly in Iraq and Afghanistan, but none of this money makes its way down to the impoverished women. The money is instead spent on a puppet army, a puppet police force, and a puppet government. Also, an estimated 40 percent of U. S. Taxpayer money sent to Afghanistan is skimmed off by corrupt politicians and varied warlords.

Afghan women have no hope, no future.

The Plight of Women in Afghanistan

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