‘A few years ago, women wouldn’t even show their faces to their own brother-in-law. Men could live with a woman for 20 years and have no idea what she looks like because she’d wear a burka and look at the floor whenever a man would enter the room. People would joke that, if the women in their family were ever kidnapped, they would have to ask them to speak because they’d never actually seen their faces,' says Mariam Wardak, a 28-year-old political campaigner who has lived between the US and her native Afghanistan for most of her adult life.
'My mother [Zakia] lived in this environment for years, but now her face is plastered on posters all over Wardak – where she’s currently is running for a seat in the provincial council. I’ve just held a dinner for what could be the first female vice president of my country. It feels like we’re at the beginning of a real change in Afghanistan, and it's women like my mother who are at the forefront of it.’
Wardak fled Afghanistan with her family for the US when she was just two-years-old, returning after graduating with a master's degree. When she visited her homeland, she was shocked by the gulf between her life in the US and the lives of women like her who were living under the Taliban. ‘When I visited my family during the Taliban regime, women hid their faces constantly,’ Mariam tells The Debrief. ‘My mother and father were visionaries and wanted to break free from these constraints, so he’d encourage me to show my face to the elders which, to be honest, they didn’t really know how to take. Back in Afghanistan, we did our bit to push boundaries but it was still so different from the culture I was used to in America.’
Under the repressive regime of the Taliban, women weren’t permitted to participate in virtually any aspect of public life
Under the repressive regime of the Taliban, women weren’t permitted to participate in virtually any aspect of public life – from voting to getting a proper education or working in most jobs. Until the US invaded in 2001, Afghan women like Mariam’s relatives weren’t allowed to leave their homes without a male escort and the mandatory burka became an international symbol of female oppression.
Afghanistan’s recent past makes this year’s seismic changes all the more exciting. Since voter registration for this year’s election started almost a year ago, 2.5 million names were added to the electoral roll and over half of these names are women, according to the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan. This level of political engagement has never been witnessed and it indicates that women are now the most important political demographic that need to be courted because they're determined to exercise their long-denied democratic rights.
Until now, all women were trained to do was to marry, cook and gossip. But there are now women who are showing them the way.
‘When my mother decided to run for local council, she was blown away by the response from other women and young people,’ Mariam explains. ‘Young people have been volunteering for her campaign, and women walked for hours with their young sons just to vote for her. It wasn’t like this in the last election in 2009; but since then, political awareness has grown.’ Mariam believes that the impetus for this change comes from the younger generation. ‘Sixty eight per cent of the population of Afghanistan are under 25 ,’ she says. ‘Thanks to their education, they understand what democracy is and have big plans for their future. Politicians like my mother want to get across the message that, if they're elected, they will represent the voices of the next generation. The Afghan people are sick of the Taliban and other insurgents; they're tired of violence, pain and crime and of burying young people. Democracy is now seen as a platform to express themselves. But it’s taken time. Men have the training in politics, which women don’t. Until now, all women were trained to do was to marry, cook and gossip. But there are now women who are showing them the way.’
More women than ever before – 300 to be precise – are running for provincial council seats around the country and, for the first time, a woman is running for vice president on a leading national ticket. Former governor of Bamian Province, Habiba Sarobi, made history by becoming the first female governor and her vice presidential campaign is being applauded by both male and female voters.
‘Whenever there is a rally for Sarobi, it’s not just women standing behind her, it’s men as well,’ she says. ‘It's not about gender; it’s because she’s amazing. She’s been a governor for 10 years, she empowered other women and dealt with economics without a problem. Plus, there is no other candidate who can compete with her in terms of connecting with people – she is pure class and so humble. It sounds trite, but she is the Michelle Obama of our country. I’m very hopeful for her chances of winning the election on 24 April.’
One woman told me that she’s finally getting more autonomy in her home and her husband is letting her make more decisions about who they entertain and what they eat.
If Sarobi is successful, Mariam thinks the changes in Afghanistan will filter down to grass routes level. ‘There are some chauvinistic pigs in this country who use the word "feminist" like an accusation, but the attention this election is grabbing is already making a difference to normal women. One woman told me that since Habiba Sarobi ran she’s finally getting more autonomy in her home and her husband is letting her make more decisions about who they entertain and what they eat. It might seem like little progress, but it’s progress nonetheless and it’s happening because of these elections. I see it even with the way women dress – there is suddenly more colour and women want to be modest, but stylish. These small things show that a society where feminism isn’t a dirty word might not be so far away – respect for women is growing.’
All progress is welcomed, but Mariam says there's still a long way to go. ‘Violence is still prevalent and at times I miss the life I had in America,’ she concedes. ‘I used to be able to walk down the road to the cinema with friends without thinking, but now there is still a constant risk of violence from insurgents. But it's also exciting to be here. There’s a flyer doing the rounds depicting a woman in a burka sticking a middle finger up to the Taliban– with her finger stained blue from voting in the ballot box. It just sums up the whole mood of Afghan women right now.'
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophieculliane
Picture: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.