State, Modernization and the Women's Movement in Afghanistan

This article studies the socioeconomic formation and corresponding politics and ideology used to sustain the subordination of women in Afghanistan. It examines traditional male-female relations in the country and, analyzes the role of the state in the country's modernization and its policies concerning the gradual involvement of women in public and private enterprises. This article also studies the women's movement prior to and during the Soviet occupation and explores future prospects for the women's movement in Afghanistan.