A newly published UNICEF study reveals that Afghanistan faces the potential loss of more than 25,000 women working in education and healthcare by 2030 unless current Taliban policies restricting female participation are reversed.
The report, made public on Monday, highlights how Taliban leadership has prohibited women from holding most government positions and restricted educational opportunities for girls to age 12 and younger.
According to the study, these policies have already impacted no fewer than 1 million girls, with projections showing this number could reach 2 million by 2030 without policy changes. UNICEF has urged Taliban authorities to reverse the prohibitions implemented following their return to control in 2021.
The research, titled “The Cost of Inaction on Girls’ Education and Women’s Labour Force Participation in Afghanistan,” documents a sharp drop in qualified women joining teaching and medical professions.
UNICEF projects that as many as 20,000 female educators and 5,400 healthcare professionals could be eliminated from the workforce by 2030, representing approximately 25% of Afghanistan’s 2021 professional workforce in these areas. An additional 9,600 medical workers could be lost by 2035, the study indicates.
“Afghanistan cannot afford to lose future teachers, nurses, doctors, midwives, and social workers, who sustain essential services,” stated UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “This will be the reality if girls continue to be excluded from education.”
The report emphasizes that women medical professionals are essential for treating female patients, while women educators are preferred for instructing girls in schools that separate students by gender.
UNICEF estimates this workforce reduction could cost Afghanistan’s economy at least AFN 5.3 billion ($84 million) annually, equivalent to approximately 0.5% of the nation’s total economic output.
The organization has called on Afghanistan’s current leadership to protect professional training opportunities and permit women’s participation in the workforce.
