Half of Afghan women rarely leave home as Taliban restrictions deepen, UN agency says

Half of Afghan women rarely leave their homes, venturing out only once or twice a month, as Taliban restrictions deepen their confinement and limit public life, U.N. Women reported Wednesday. Afghanistan remains the sole country globally to prohibit girls from secondary education and women from attending university.

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Half a decade after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Afghanistan has systematically dismantled the rights of half its population, making it a global outlier with no parallel in the modern world.

Since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, the agency stated that Afghanistan has systematically dismantled the rights of half its population. Over 100 decrees targeting women and girls have been issued, institutionalizing discrimination and creating the world's most severe women's rights crisis. The Taliban maintain they respect women's rights according to their interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan culture.

The U.N. Women report, based on surveys conducted in early 2025 and mid-2026, found that nearly three-quarters of women feel unsafe going out without a male guardian. These restrictions have also fueled a mental health crisis, with seven in 10 women describing their mental health as "bad" or "very bad" due to isolation, lost opportunities, and limited support networks. Recent decrees have further eroded women's legal protections, abolishing legal equality between men and women and making divorce more difficult.

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Half of Afghan women now leave their homes only once or twice a month.

Economically, women remain largely excluded, with only 7% employed compared to 84% of men. The U.N. agency warned that the ongoing situation is creating an unparalleled crisis for women's rights globally.

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Seven in 10 women described their mental health as "bad" or "very bad", citing isolation, loss of opportunities and limited access to support networks.