State of The Family : Afghanistan
Anna Marie Lorenzi
Miami University c/o 2027
Overview
Family life in Afghanistan is a collection of religious, cultural, and political norms. Strong values of close family ties, marriage, children, and patriarchal ideals shape the typical Afghan family. With religion and politics at the center of Afghan families, expectations for what family life should look like are clearly defined. These expectations for family dynamics and household structure remain relatively consistent across the nation, with some variability depending on region or economic circumstance.
History of the Afghan Family
The state of Afghanistan is one that has historically experienced war and instability in leadership. The Taliban has controlled the nation for approximately 10 years, with a 20-year gap in between ruling periods. This regime holds families to a high standard, enforcing a strict and traditional form of Islamic law and the gendered roles that accompany it.
Afghan Law comes from a source of traditional and customary Islamic law. Many appointed judges are graduates of religious institutions, resulting in their practice revolving around religious ideals. This application of religious law can also be attributed to a lack of knowledge on statutory law, which can go unchecked because of the understaffing and insufficient equipment of court resources. Even with the application of statutory law, however, judges find themselves questioning the validity of statutory law superseding religious law.
In legal proceedings, family courts are scarce and exist only in Kabul, although discussions about establishing these courts took place nationwide. With that being said, legal proceedings have never been the first mechanism to address resolutions within the family. Local assemblies, known as jirga or shura, address issues before the courts do. This is because official institution involvement in family matters can damage the prestige of both parties in a dispute, but especially that of the women. The reliance on religious and cultural norms to dictate legal proceedings regarding families also bleeds into family life in general. The Taliban regime enforces family norms that emphasize a patriarchal hierarchy, tightly connected relations, and religious morality.
A formal census of the population of Afghanistan has not been conducted since 1979. The decision to conduct this census came from the growing need for economic planning, which would require reliable demographic information. At the time of this census, life expectancy was found to be 40.7 years, one of the lowest in the world. The sex ratio at the time of this census was also found to have a notable excess in men compared to women. While the census survey did provide data on education levels, marital status, and economic characteristics of Afghan citizens, authorities have yet to publish any specific data.
Demographics
At a population of about 40 million, the 2015 DHS Survey outlines that Afghan family life consists of typical household sizes of 8 people, and half of the household’s members are 15 years old. Women tend to marry at much younger rates than men, with the age at first marriage being 18.5 compared to 22.9 for their male counterparts. The median age for first birth is about 20 years old for women; however, 12% of adolescent women aged 15-19 experience pregnancy. This teenage fertility is most common among young adolescent women with no education and coming from lower socioeconomic circumstances. Overall, women are likely to have about 5.3 children, with differences in family size occurring based on a woman’s education level. Fertility decreases to 3.8 children among women with more than secondary education. Family size can also increase with the inclusion of polygamous structures, as experienced by 6% of married women and 3% of men aged 15-49.
The child mortality rate is 55 deaths per live birth, meaning approximately 1 in every 18 children die before their fifth birthday. This rate is higher among children in rural areas of Afghanistan over urban areas. The child mortality rate also decreases as household wealth and mother’s education increase. The mortality rate for children also decreases as the interval between births increases. The median birth interval is 28.4 months. In the birthing process, almost half of live births take place in a health facility and half at home. Nearly all births, however, by a woman with secondary education or higher are assisted by a skilled provider.
Gender Roles
The division of labor and life among Afghan families is heavily associated with one’s gender. Expectations follow a patriarchal guideline, where women tend to homemaking and men are responsible for economically providing for the family. Restrictions on the behavior of women as regulated by the Taliban have resulted in the primary domain of female-designated control being left in the house, usually over children and household tasks. Men are left to dictate the public arena. These roles are based on heavy religious and moral backgrounds that clearly define gender-based roles, not only in family life but also in Afghan society as a whole. While individuals across the nation participate in the performance of these roles, many restrictions do not align with their ideal ways of life.
In addition to the clearly defined gender roles, a mixing of the genders is considered taboo amongst citizens. It is widely regarded that women should only be accessible by their families, and they should rely on the men in their lives to dictate their actions. That being said, public arenas such as professional and educational life involve both men and women while trying to maintain a distance between the two genders.
With that being said, Afghanistan currently has legal bans on women accessing secondary and higher education, leaving 2.2 million women without an education. This education crisis has resulted in some of the lowest literacy rates in the world and violates widely recognized human rights standards upheld by other nations. It is suspected that this educational ban will have generational impacts on the youth of Afghanistan, with estimates of as many as 4 million women being denied education by 2030, leading to a lack of educational skills normalized in foreign nations. Economically speaking, experts suspect this ban will cost the country nearly $9.6 billion in lost potential by 2066, making up roughly half of the country’s current GDP. Revoking the ban on women’s education still leaves concerns within the system, however, as many schools are heavily impacted by the current political crisis and lack proper sanitation, water, and heating.
In adult life, women’s traditional roles in society have led to a rise in childbearing by 45 percent, which also impacts the rising maternal mortality rate. Only one in four women in Afghanistan seek work, compared to 90% of their male counterparts, leaving a large gender gap in professional life. Even if a woman can find work, it is typically a low-paying, unstable, and informal job. As of 2020, women held approximately 25% of political seats in the Afghan Parliament, but their participation in political life has almost been completely erased since Taliban control. This leaves political actions taken by women to quiet acts in influence within their communities or small organizations.
With men taking primary control over the workforce, professional life typically includes work weeks of 40 hours and an average salary of 30,000 ($474.83 USD). Compared to other Asian nations, Afghanistan ranks 29 out of 49 in minimum wage, being similar to the median wage across the continent.
Role of Religion in the Family
A strict interpretation of Sunni Islam is enforced in the nation by the Taliban, which outlines a clear structure to how family life in Afghanistan should be. The Taliban has used principles derived from teachings within the Qur’an to issue a series of edicts and decrees, operating under the ideology that their actions are meant to contribute to a “comfortable and prosperous life according to Islamic Shari’a”. Governmental enforcement of religious teachings includes removing the previous 2004 constitution as the basis for law enforcement in the nation. These policy changes have disproportionately affected women and religious minorities.
Beginning with interpretation of religion, women are restricted to adhering to the Taliban interpretation of religious doctrine, which, in turn, expands to the arenas of their family life. The morality of Afghan women is policed by the Taliban, and violation of “moral crimes” can lead to arrest. Restrictions on dress, education, and employment leave most women with only one option: homemaking. This religious infrastructure will transmit across generations of Afghan women, so long as Taliban ideas dictate women’s place in society and assign them to family-oriented roles. Marriage and divorce are also regulated by religious ideals as enforced by the Taliban.
Family Infrastructure
Anila Daulatzai
Anila Daulaztai is an anthropologist whose studies focus on life in Afghanistan and Pakistan. She centers her research around war and humanitarianism, with many of her publications focusing on health and violence. One notable publication of hers is “War and What Remains: Everyday Life in Contemporary Kabul, Afghanistan”, which details family life through the diverse experiences associated with war and military occupation.
Pashtana Durani
Pashtana Durani is an Afghan activist and scholar who advocates for women’s rights to education. Currently acting as an International Scholar-in-Residence at the Wellesley Centers for Women, her expertise in community development continues in her advancement of education and health resources for women. Founder of LEARN Afghanistan, her accomplishments have gained recognition from Amnesty International, the Malala Fund and earned her the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Emerging Leader Prize.
Muhammad Atta-ullah Faizani
Muhammad Atta-ullah Faizani was an Afghan Islamic scholar whose work revolved around religious morality in relation to Afghan lifestyle. His work includes many sermons and demonstrations to advocate for his message, as well as the publication of fifty-two volumes of work covering many spiritual sciences. His legacy continues in the strong recognition of his teachings across schools in Afghanistan led by his son, Ustad Mazhabi Sahib.
Kabul University
Kabul University is the leading institution for higher education in Afghanistan, serving as an influential body that adapts along with changes to the military and political climate of the country. Notably, the Afghanistan Center at Kabul University conducts family research on family decision-making.
International Migration Institute
The International Migration Institute provides information on globalization and policy removed from the Western-centric perspective. Their research and publications include a series of papers that address a wide variety of migration topics. Family life of Afghan communities in foreign nations is studied by this organization, and resources accessible to these families are brought to light by the publications.
The New Humanitarian
The New Humanitarian is a watchdog and publication site that provides information on various global issues through independent journalism. With a focus on current events, articles are consistently being shared covering the personal and political climate of the nation and how individuals are responding to it. Their website shares information on aid and policy, migration, environment and disasters, opinion pieces, and human rights issues. In the case of families, certain publications include work on women’s role in Afghanistan, especially through education and home life.
Limitations
The war and conflict in Afghanistan leave many researchers and institutions facing barriers in their publications and knowledge base efforts. Family research is heavily conducted by international organizations and universities. Regulation of academic and personal life under the Taliban regime dictates a clear structure for academia in the nation, leaving little room for diverse thinking. This is a limitation of family research because growth of knowledge on family life is especially necessary from within the nation as diverse experiences, such as war, shape familial and personal lives.
In addition to that, an outdated census, having last been attempted in 1979, was never completed due to rising global conflict. This situation leaves many demographic statistics and population information unverified through nationwide surveys. While there have been other means of estimating the population of Afghanistan, a formal census would be the most informative regarding the number of families, household size, and overall population.
Finally, a lack of family infrastructure within the nation leads family studies to be overlooked. While there are individuals working to expand family studies in the nation, they typically require involvement from international parties. The organizations that do work with families within Afghanistan must adhere to Taliban expectations and laws, leaving research to have bias. Overall, this lack of infrastructure proves to be a limitation in research because it separates familial research from within and outside the nation, which, in turn, lacks the sociological, impartial, and objective research structures.
Future Directions
The future directions of this report include connecting with Afghan scholars to expand on our knowledge of the infrastructures and lifestyles of families in Afghanistan. Collaboration with family organizations and institutions within the nation is an overarching goal of the State of Families Project in an effort to maintain relevancy to the current cultural, political, social, and contextual state of Afghanistan. Due to the displacement of universities, researchers, and resources as a result of war and conflict within the nation, mobilization of universities and international organizations (i.e. University of Maryland Department of Family Science and Purdue University’s Department of Human Development and Family Studies) is also necessary in advancing studies on Afghan families. However, with the support of organizations such as the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund, partner universities can continue to provide academic opportunities for Afghan scholars, thus allowing direct information on families as experienced by Afghan individuals to be incorporated into research and offering an internal perspective on family life within the country.
Conclusions
Overall, family life in Afghanistan is highly influenced by religion and political regime, with sectors of society being designated to specific genders. The operation of the nation typically does not align with the customs of worldwide organizations. Family life in Afghanistan proves to be a diverse experience consistently impacted by changing climate, both internally and internationally.
Bio
Anna Marie Lorenzi is a junior at Miami University, double majoring in sociology and social justice. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in social work. Her research interests include family development, gender and family roles, and cultural adaptation. She serves as a research assistant to Dr. Anthony James on the State of Families project.
References
*Sources for this report are imbedded in the report themselves as hyperlinks
*Previous works on Afghanistan families can also be found on the State of Families Report website
