Social Context Flashcards
What was life like for women in Pre-Communist Afghanistan? (3 points)
The wearing of a veil became voluntary
Women found employment in offices and shops
Some women also received a university education
What was life like for women in Afghanistan during the Mujahadeen rule? (2 points)
Limited access to education and employment - severely governed and constrained by social norms and practices
Women were pressured to cover their heads in public and adopt traditional Muslim dress
What were marriages like in Afghanistan? (3 points)
Married off at a young age - expected to transition from childhood to motherhood
Arranged marriages were influenced by factors like social status and family honor
They were expected to be subordinate to men, particularly their spouses - carried out societal norms of bearing children and being submissive housewives
What was life like for children in Afghanistan? (4 points)
Schools were scarce and extended families usually lived in one house
Boys tended to assist their father’s line of work
Girls would be taught how to be good mothers and servants to the men in their life
Children were brought up with Islamic cultural values
What was life like for men in Afghanistan? (3 points)
Agrarian society - most worked in trade, farming, livestock etc
Kabul was an urban area with a diversity of jobs that provided financial stability
Men had to support their entire family and any unmarried female relatives
How were illegitimate children treated in Afghanistan? (2 points)
They were seen as sacrilegious – Islam condemns sexual relations outside of marriage
Afghanistan’s Civil Code doesn’t address them - they had no rights defined for them
What was it like to live under the Taliban? (4 points)
Punishments for crime included beatings, amputations, and public executions
Anything that ‘affronted’ Islam was destroyed e.g. the Bamiyan Buddha
Men who failed to grow beards and leave them untrimmed were fined and jailed—full beardedness being perceived by extremists as the mark of a Muslim
Television, music and cinema were banned
How were women treated under Taliban rule? (3 points)
Women were oppressed under the new regime as they couldn’t:
- Work
- Not wear a burqa
- Go to school if aged 10 and over
Authorities closed down girls’ schools and forced women to give up employment in nearly all occupations
Strong penalties were applied against women who were not fully covered in the streets or who were found in the company of males unrelated to them
