Afghan Feminist Thought, part 1

It may take a long time for Afghan men to value Afghan feminist ideas. Many educated Afghan men still smirk at the word “feminist” and associate it with extremist ideas perpetrated by women.

These men consider it shameful to change their own babies’ diapers. They get served first and eat the best food. As husbands, they think they have the right to beat and discipline their wives. As young boys, they order their sisters to fetch them water. And in government, they ask a girl to marry her rapist in order to free him from jail. 

People rarely respect the rights of women or accept feminist thinking in Afghanistan, but feminist concepts are precisely what is needed to bring about positive change. To understand why, we can look at the economic, political, and ideological power issues that affect the role of women. 

In her book, Black Feminist Thought, author Patricia Hill Collins writes about the oppression of black women, a subject with which she is familiar. She says that black women’s suppression takes three dimensions: economic, political, and ideological, and she explains how these three factors intertwine to keep women at home, separate them from their rights, and construct a negative image of them.  

Collins’s theories also shed light on the struggle of Afghan women. One can easily apply the same three dimensions—economic, political, and ideological—to the oppression of women in Afghanistan. 

Consider first, economics. Afghan women are rarely permitted to earn money; earning money is considered a male job. Exploitation of women’s labor in the home is essential to the Afghan economic system. Women are told it is best to stay at home and take care of the household and children. Girls are trained to be housewives—to cook, sew, do the washing and cleaning.  

In contrast, boys are raised to have women serve them. By observing the behavior of their fathers and male relatives, they learn to practice superiority. They get the last word and expect everything to be done in their favor. The clothes should be washed and ironed; the house should be clean and cozy. The food should be delicious and the children should be quiet.  

Many Afghan women believe their primary job is in the home. As Collins says, the household chores leave women “few opportunities to do intellectual work.”  

While some Afghan families believe in educating women, this rarely extends to higher education. Usually, after a girl finishes ninth or tenth grade, she will get married and sent to a new household. Many brilliant talents are wasted on the “iron pots and kettles,” as Collins puts it. If nurtured and invested in, their talents could be used to boost Afghanistan’s economy, but instead they are buried in favor of a male-dominated society.

Afghan’s women’s vulnerability to assault is given as a reason to keep them at home. In Afghanistan, girls grow up with the fear of being assaulted in the streets or alleys. They learn to be cautious. When they go shopping, for instance, they go as a group. Girls walk in town with the fear that someone may grab their butt or breasts at any moment. 

Recent cases of Afghan teenage girls being injured in acid attacks while walking to school have scared many Afghan families. This insecurity feeds doubts about women getting an education or even going outside at all. 

By Mahnaz

Coming in part two: The Political Dimension. Photo: Stephanie Sinclair for the New York Times.