Taliban Curbs on Working Women Could Cut Afghanistan’s GDP by 5%
- Women’s exit from work could cut $500 million from households
- Taliban has assured women can still work based on Sharia laws
A Taliban fighter passes women waiting in line during a World Food Program food distribution near Kabul on Nov. 6.
Photographer: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The Taliban’s move to restrict women from working could immediately cost the Afghan economy up to $1 billion, or 5% of GDP, the United Nations Development Programme said in a new report as the militant group seeks global help to avert a deepening crisis.
The UN report painted a grim picture of Afghanistan’s economy which is under strain with soaring inflation and an ongoing cash crunch. Women account for 20% of the country’s workforce and preventing them from working could shave half a billion dollars alone from household consumption, it said.