The changing role for women in Afghanistan

For women in Afghanistan, day-to-day life continues to be a struggle. It has been nearly a decade since the fall of the Taliban, yet every step forward for Afghan women seems to come with new setbacks.

Though girls now have the right to an education, getting one can be perilous. Reports over the years of schools being burnt down, teachers being beaten and beheaded, and acid being thrown at girls’ faces as they walk to school can obscure signs of progress being made for women, yet they are there.

This year’s parliamentary elections are just 10 days away, and a record number of women are seeking seats. Over 430 women are running for elected office throughout Afghanistan. While this sounds like a promising development, female candidates are complaining they’re subject to same sort of intimidation Afghan schoolgirls face.

Fotini Christia, assistant professor in political science at MIT, joins the program for a look at the current situation for women in Afghanistan.