Afghan Women Embrace Entrepreneurship Amid Restrictions

Amid restricted access to secondary education and limited employment opportunities, many Afghan women have turned to entrepreneurship as a way to earn a living and maintain social connections. Ghoncha Karimi, a 36-year-old beekeeper, tends to her hives in an orchard outside Herat City, Afghanistan.

Entrepreneurial Pathways Under Taliban Rule

Secondary education and many jobs remain inaccessible for Afghan women under some of the world’s strictest restrictions. However, in an effort to prevent economic collapse and international isolation, the Taliban have permitted women to start businesses, provided they adhere to numerous stringent rules.

The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry reports that over 10,000 Afghan women now hold business licenses, a significant tenfold increase over the past five years. Additionally, approximately 120,000 women are estimated to be working without licenses. These small enterprises represent the largest source of employment for Afghan women, according to the World Bank.

Despite the apparent business growth, opportunities for women have been narrowing. Aspirations of becoming lawyers, engineers, or professors have been sidelined. Instead, many have pursued careers in carpet weaving, cosmetics, or vocational training as they face restrictions in government jobs or with various nonprofits. Women are also prohibited from running beauty salons, studying fields like midwifery or nursing, and interacting with male clients, suppliers, or bank officials.

Challenges and Protest

Employment among Afghan women remains scarce, with less than 7% working as of 2024, according to the U.N. Development Programme. Those who do work navigate increasing challenges, including harassment and arrests by the morality police. The actions of the morality police in June led to a rare public demonstration by women.