FINDING A WAY FORWARD

In Afghanistan, amid restrictions on women’s education and employment, entrepreneurship has shifted from a career choice to a vital lifeline for survival. Through home-based businesses and support networks, women support families and hope for a change.

In Afghanistan, where restrictions have progressively narrowed women’s access to education, employment and public life, entrepreneurship has shifted from a career choice to a vital lifeline for survival. It is a way to earn an income, provide for their families and preserve a degree of financial independence.

Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, girls have been barred from secondary school, while women have been excluded from universities and faced increasingly severe restrictions on their ability to learn, work and contribute to their households and communities. Dreams have been interrupted, leading many women to experience trauma and depression.

Yet within these constraints, some women have managed to build livelihoods, registering businesses and obtaining licences where possible.

New forms of work have emerged, and behind closed doors, living rooms and courtyards have become home-based businesses, sewing workshops, small offices and packaging centres. Some of these entrepreneurs have created new networks, both online and offline, allowing women to exchange knowledge, develop their skills and support one another.

For many, entrepreneurship began with something small: a sewing machine bought with their savings, a bracelet sold to purchase raw materials, or skills learned through an online course or training programme.

These businesses do not make up for the opportunities women have lost. But they show that, even in extreme circumstances, women continue to find ways to use their skills, support their families and build something of their own, while hoping for a different future.