Afghan Women Political Participation Through Gender Quota

FinalResearchPaper

AliteratureReviewon

PoliticalParticipationAfghanWomeninPostTalibanRegimeandtheImpactofQuota
SystemonWomenEmpowermentatSocialArena

RoyaGharji

Class:FeminismMethodologies
Professor:ChristabelleSethna

December16th,2015

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Afghan Women Political Participation Through Gender Quota

Introduction
LookingbacktoAfghanistanspoliticalhistory,onecanseethatwomenspolitical
participationwasverylimited.Afghanwomenwereawardedminimizedrolesinpolitics.
Politicalinvolvementandpoliticalcareerwereconsideredsolelymensjob,which,tosome
extentisstillconsidered.Womenssocialinteractionswerelimitedtohome,andtheirroleswere
consideredtobethereproductionanddomesticwork.Afghanwomensrightsandsocio
economicalpresencewerelargelyignored,both,beforetheTalibanandduringtheTaliban
regime.The9/11terroristattacksontheUnitedStatesalsodrewinternationalandstrategic
interesttowardAfghanistanandespeciallyAfghanwomen(Friedman,2002,p.8).Asaresult
ofthoseinternationalinterestsinAfghanistan,Afghanwomenenteredintoanewerainsocial
andpoliticalspheres.Genderequalityandwomenempowermentinsociopoliticalandeconomic
spherewassetasthebenchmarkforAfghangovernmentbytheinternationalcommunityasthe
perquisitefortheircontinuoushumanitarianassistance.
However,duetoreasonssuchasinsecurity,patriarchalcultural,pooreconomy,andlow
rateofliteracyamongwomen,notmuchhaschangedinregardtowomenstatusinAfghanistan.
LookingbacktowomenspoliticalparticipationthroughoutAfghanistanshistory,itwas
realizedthatinordertopromotewomensrightsandempowerment,itisimportanttoguarantee
womenpoliticalpresentationinparliament,governmentstructureandprovincialcouncils.
Therefore,theinternationalcommunityproposedtheadoptionofgenderquotaasthekeyto
enhancingthepoliticalparticipationandsocialempowermentofAfghanwomen.In2004,the
quotasystemwasenforcedinAfghanistanwhere25%ofseatsweregrantedforwomeninthe

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Afghan Women Political Participation Through Gender Quota

districtandprovincialcouncils,aswell28%oftheseatsintheAfghanparliament69inall
wereoccupiedbywomenin2011(Khan,2012.p.3).Thelongtermobjectivefortheadoptionof
thequotasystemasatopdownapproachwastobringatangibleandpositivechangetowards
womensequalrightsandempowermentinAfghanistan.Mainlyquotasystemhasbeen
acceptedasarighttoolforminoritygroupstohaveavoiceingovernmentandstandupfortheir
rightstobringchangeintheirsocialandpoliticalstatus(Bush,2013.p.109).Additionally,with
theadoptionofquotassystemasanaffirmativeaction,womengetanopportunitytocreatea
spacefromthemselves,whichhopefullyleadtoanincreaseinwomensemploymentrate,
educationandpoliticalparticipationandsociopoliticalpresence.
InAfghanistanthequotasystemwasadoptedinJanuary2004,withalotofpressureby
theinternationalcommunityandtheUnitedStatesinvasion.TheintentionwasthatAfghan
womenrepresentationinhigherpositionswillhopefullyenhancesocietytoward,equality,
positivesociopolitical,economicandculturalchanges.Asetofacademicworkdiscussesthat
womensparticipationinpoliticallife,asvoters,candidates,andleaderswillhelptoensurethat
theirgrievancesareheardandinterestsaresecuredinthelongterm(Borovsky.&Yahia,2012.
p.19).HavingAfghanwomenaspoliticalactorscanhelpininfluencingAfghangovernmentto
introducewomenfriendlypolicies,suchasequaleducationopportunityforallgirls,healthissue,
domesticviolence,childmarriages,forcedmarriage,womenpropertyrights,divorcerightand
etc.ThroughoutthepoliticalhistoryofAfghanistan,womensrightsandissuesrelatedtothem
havebeenignoredduetothepatriarchalandmendominatedpoliticalandsocialsystem.
Intheacademia,itarguesthatpoliticalempowermentofwomencanbehelpfulinthe
processofpeacebuildingaswellasinsustainableeconomic.AsBorovsky&Yahiadiscussthat

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Afghan Women Political Participation Through Gender Quota

"womeninpoliticsarehighlycommittedinpromotingnationalandlocalpoliciesthataddress
thesocioeconomicandpoliticalchallengesfacingwomen,children,anddisadvantagedgroups"
(p.21).WomenrelatedconcernsinAfghanistanhaveneverbeenatthetoppoliticalagenda,thus
womenrelatedissues,problemsorchallengeshaverarelyorneverbeenamatterofdiscussion
whichmayneedaseriousattentiontobeaddressedatthepolicyorregulationlevel.Some
developingcountrieswithsimilarpoliticalhistorylikeAfghanistanandpoorwomenpolitical
participationrecordsinpasthaveadoptedquotassystem.Theaimfortheadoptionwastouse
quotaasatooltobringwomenatthepolicymakingpositionandmakesurewomenhasbeen
equallyrepresentedinthepolitical,socialandeconomicdivision.Afghanistansadoptedquota
systemasamechanismforwomensequality,empowermentanddevelopmentarebeing
consideredtobeapositiveaffirmativeaction.Havingmentionedthat,hasquotasystemin
Afghanistan,asanaffirmativeactionbeensuccessfulinovercominggenderinequalitiesin
politics,socioeconomicandculturalsphere,whichwouldhaveleadtotheirempowerment?This
isafactwhichneedstoberesearched.
Mythesishypothesisisthat,yesAfghanwomenspoliticalparticipationthroughgender
quotahasapositiveimpactonempoweringgenderequalityandsocioeconomicdevelopmentof
Afghanwomen.Therefore,thisliteraturereviewlooksatacademicarticles,booksandpeer
reviewjournalsonpoliticalparticipationofwomen,ingeneral,andquotasystemsimpacton
genderequalityandwomenempowermentinparticular.Itexplicitlyfocusesonreviewingthe
impactofquotasystemthroughpoliticalparticipationwhichcontributetowardsmoreequitable
genderequalityandempowerment.Withtheconsiderationthatthosenewlyelectedwomenare
morelikelytoexperiencemajorobstaclesthanmen,whichimpacttheirperformanceatalllevels.

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Thispaperlooksattheliteraturetoanalyzethesimilaritiesanddifferencethatcouldbeapplied
tothecaseofAfghanistansquotasystemanalysis.Finally,ittriestofindwhataspectsand
anglesofquotasystemhavebeenstudiedandwhatkindofresearchmethodologieshasbeen
adoptedforsucharesearch,whichcanbehelpfulformyresearchproject.
LiteratureReview:
Currently,about40countriesintheworldhaveadoptedgenderquotasintheirelectoral
system.Quotassystemareseenasanecessaryfirststeptoincreasingthenumberofwomenin
politics,especiallyinpostconflictcountrieswheretheyhavebeeneffectivelyusedtofasttrack
womenspoliticalrepresentation(Amoo&Adare,2009.p.9).SouthAsiancountrieslikeIndia,
Pakistan,BangladeshandNepalwhichhassimilarhistorical,culturalandeconomical
backgroundlikeAfghanistanhaveadoptedthequotasystemsincealongtime.Although,these
countriesquotaadaptationexperiencemightbedifferentfromAfghanistan,however,thequota
systemhasresultedinanincreaseinwomensrepresentationinpoliticsandempowermentin
general.However,considerableacademiahasstudiestheimpactofquotasystemfromdifferent
perspectiveswhichcametocontrastingconclusions.
Asofsuch,DePaola,etal.,2010discussesthepositiveimpactofquotassystemon
women'sinvolvementinpoliticsandallItalianlocaladministration.AccordingtoDePaola,et
al,inordertoenhancewomenparticipationinpolicymaking,manycountrieshaveintroduced
normsreservingpoliticalpositionstowomen.Genderquotaisconsideredasausefultoolto
increasewomenparticipationinpoliticssinceculturalandsocialnormsthatseemtohave
hinderedtheirpoliticalempowermenttendtoevolveveryslowly(p.345).Suchanargument
backsupthehypothesisthatwomensrepresentationinpoliticsaslegislatorsgivesachanceto

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womentoraisedistinctivewomenrelatedissuesandtheirprioritiesinthepolicylevelandask
forextensiveconsiderationtothoseissues.Asaresultofcorrectingtheimbalancesinpolitical
representationhelpstocorrecttheimbalanceinotherspheresaswell(Sacchet,2008,Sater,
2007;Chattopadhyay&Duflo,2004;Chen,2010).Womenspoliticalparticipationthrough
genderquotasignificantlyincreasedwomeninvolvementatdifferentfields,specificallyin
political,social,businessesanddevelopmentprograms.Additionally,womenspolitical
participationsthroughgenderquotainmostofthethirdworldcountrieshaveshownprogressive
resultsinprovidingbetterservicestootherwomenandgeneralpublic.
Genderquotasarenotlimitedtoelectedwomeninparliamentsinceitappliestoall
governmentadministrativeofficesandministries.Someacademicsfoundthatgenderquotas,at
thegovernmentadministrativeoffices,resultedinlesscorruption,whichattractedmorepublic
trusttowardwomeninvolvementinpublicserviceagencies.Dollaretal.,1999&Kudva2003
showedthat'thereisacorrelationbetweensignificantratesofwomeningovernmentand
loweredlevelsofcorruptionatbothnationalandlocallevels(Dollaretal.,1999andKudva
2003).Whilewomenarelessinvolvedincorruptactivities,howeverasagroupoftheminority
theyhavebeendisadvantagedfromtheconsequencesofacorruptsystem,especiallywhere
womenpoliticalrepresentationsarefewertolimited.Opello,(2006)conferthatgender
sensitivebudgetanalysisprovesthatmenprofitmuchmorefrompublicexpendituresthan
women.Corruptiondecreasesnationalbudgetresources,theycutthebudgetformaternaland
childhealthservices.Acorruptlegalsystemreinforcesexistinggenderdiscriminationinmany
countries(p.84).Thus,itiscrucialtoacknowledgetheimportanceofwomenrepresentationin

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politicalandlegislativepositions.Womenscompanionshipandpresencesatpolicyand
decisionmakinglevelwouldensurewomensequalaccesstoatallcountrylevelbenefits.
Whileatadministrationlevelwomenareperformancewerewell,Dasgupta&Asgari,
(2004)discussthatthesociallyconstructednegativestereotypesaboutthecapabilitiesofwomen
inpoliticscanactasapersistentpracticalhurdletowomensparticipationinpoliticaland
publiclife.Entrenchedgenderrolesandstereotypesservetoreinforcediscriminationagainst
womenthroughthepersistenceofharmfulnorms,practicesandtraditions,andpatriarchal
attitudesregardingtheroles,responsibility,andidentitiesofwomenatallspheresoflife"(p.
657).Thisisbecausehistoricallypoliticsandsocietyasawholehavebeenmanagedandruled
bymen,whichrefertosexualdivisionoflaborandunderminingwomencapacitiesand
capabilities.
Dasgupta&Asgaripointoutthat,"ifthelowrepresentationofwomeninpoliticsis,atleast
partially,duetostatisticaldiscrimination,thenpoliticalreservationsallowingwomento
demonstratetheirskills,mayinducetheelectoratetovotefortheminfutureelections.(p.654).
Especially,wherewomenpoliticalactivitiesarelimitedduetothesocialandculturalissues,
certainly,genderquotahelpstobreakthegenderrelatedtaboosandopengreateropportunities
forotherwomentopracticefreersocialandpoliticallife.However,inbothofDasgupta&
Asgari(2004)andOpello(2006)articles,seegenderquotaasapositivetechniquethroughwhich
womencanpracticetheirpoliticalrightsanditmayinfluenceotherwomenempowerment.
Nonethelesshow,why,andtowhatextentwomenpoliticalrepresentationthroughquotasystem
mayhelpotherwomentoremovesocial,economicalandculturalbarriersisanotherarguments
tobelookedat.

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AsWordsworth(2007)explainsthatelectedwomenthroughgenderquotawillface

doublehardshipinprovingthepositiveimpactofquotas.Ontheonehand,thepublicnegative
perceptiontowardquotaadoptionmayshapeexpectationsaboutelectedwomen,thatwhatwill
theydooncetheyreachpoliticaloffice?(p.72)andontheotherhand,thevarieddesignof
quotapoliciesandratesofquotaimplementationsuggestthatthesemeasuresarelikelytohave
diverseeffectsonthecompositionofpoliticalelites(p.72).Itreferstotheideathattheimpact
ofwomenpoliticalparticipationthroughgenderquotadependsonhowquotapoliciesand
implementingregulationaredesignedindifferentcountries.Werethesocial,culturaland
economicbarriersandchallengesforwomenconsideredwhiledevelopingthequotasystem?
Werequotapoliciesandregulationdevelopedcomparingtomenornot?Lastly,howpublic,
especiallywomenhaveevaluatedwomenspoliticalinvolvementthroughquota.Eachofthese
factorsshouldbelooked,reviewedandelaboratedliterallytofindtheimpactofthequota
system.
Whiletheabovementionedarticleshighlightsocialandculturalbarriersrelatedtothe
studyofquotasystemimpact,anumberofotherscholarsarguethatwomenwhogetintopolitics
throughgenderquotastendtohavelesspoliticalexperience,lesseducationandlessknowledge
oflawandpolicy,whichleadtonegativeimpactofquotasystem.(Kolinsky1991;Murray2008;
FranceschetandPiscopo2009).InatraditionalsocietylikeAfghanistan,wherehistorically
womenhadbeenignoredinsocial,educational,andpoliticalspace,itispossiblethatelected
womenthroughquotahavenoknowledge,experienceandskillofpolitics.However,this
evidencecannotbeareasontonothavewomeninpolitics.Furthermore,thegovernmentshould
considerthehistoryofunequalopportunityforwomenandactaccordingly.

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Moreover,scholarasBird2003;Chowdhury2002;Pupavac2005;Rai,Bari,Mahtab,and
Mohanty2006,discussthat,genderquotasprimarilyleadtotheelectionofwomenwith
comparingtopowerfulmenwithhighlevelsofeducation,(Sater2007;Srivastava2000),and
longtermpoliticalengagement(CowleyandChilds2003;Tripp2006).But,someliteratures
statesthatgenderquotaspromotewomenfrommarginalizedgroups(Mehta2002),thosewith
lowlevelsofeducation(Schwartz2004),thosewithlowerstatusoccupations(Bird2003;
CatalanoandValdez2008),andthosewhoarerelativelyyoung(Britton2005;Burness2000;
Marx,Borner,andCaminotti2007;Murray2008).Examiningthesepublications,uncover
diversetwistsofquotasimpactsindifferentcountieswithvaryofbarriers.
ReferringtoAfghanistan,Kakar,(2014)inhisarticlediscussestheAfghanwomen
politicalhistoryandtheirroleintheAfghanpolitics.Hearguesthat"Afghanwomensabsences
inpoliticalarenaresultedintodayswomenoppressionandsuffering"(p.73).Hefocuseson
examiningtheempowermentofAfghanwomenthroughgenderquotaandpoliticalparticipation,
however,hesuggeststhatinAfghanistanwithitspostwarcontext,theadaptationofgender
quotatakeslongerthanothercountries.Duetothepoliticalurgency,insecurity,poorsocio
culturalgroundforacceptanceofwomeninthesocialsphere,amisseconomicdevelopmentand
lowlevelofliteracyamongwomen,itwillnotbeveryrealistictostudytheimpactofquotaon
Afghanwomenempowermentnow.ThementionedfactorscouldbetheobstaclesforAfghan
womenpoliticalparticipation,whichmayimpactontheeffectiveimplementationofthequota
systeminAfghanistan.GenderquotaisanewdilemmainAfghanistananditistooearlyto
studytheeffectsorimpactofquotasonwomensempowerment,however,genderquotas

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increasedthenumberofpoliciesproposed,debated,andpassedonbehalfofwomenasa
group(p.59).
Generally,theprimaryfindingfromtheliteraturehasbeenthatthegenderquotaas
affirmativetoolimpactedwomenssocial,economicandpoliticalconditionforbetterinany
country.Thisconclusioncounteredbysomeotherresearchersandtheirargumentisthat
womensequalpoliticalpresenceissimplyanissueoffairness,andassuch,donotnecessarily
anticipatepolicyorsocialchange(Bird,2008,p.23).Quotaadoptionhasbeenlinkedwith
differentessentialfactslikewomenrightmovements,thehumanrightactionplanforequality
andinternationalcommunityhumanitarianaidprograms.Birdarguethatquotashavenotmet
withequalratesofsuccesssinceinsomecountryitgotdramaticincreasesinpolitical
engagementofwomenwhileinsomeothercountriesitledtostagnationandevendecreasesin
thenumbersofwomeninpolitics.Thus,researchneedstotakeintoaccountwetherfactorslike
quotasystempolicydesign,othersocialmovements,andhumanitarianaidwerepresenceor
absenceduringtheimplementquotasystem.
InsupportofBridsargumentsTajali(2010)addsthattheimpactofgenderquotaon
womenempowermentislinkedtovariouskeyfactorsthatneedtobeconsideredwhile
researchingtheimpactofquotaindevelopingcountries.Tajaliarguesthatthecorrelation
betweenpostconflictreconstructionandgenderquotaadoptionisillustratedbythefactthat
mostdevelopingstateswithgenderquotashaveadoptedthemintheaftermathofadomestic
crisis(p.42).Thedomesticcrisisreferstoexistingbarrierandthegroundforacceptanceof
change,whichhelpwomentoincreasetheirpoliticalrepresentationandactaslegislatorsfor

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otherwomen.Adoptionofgenderquotasysteminapostconflictcountry,likeAfghanistan,
cannotbestudiedwithoutconsiderationofthedomesticcrisis.
Eventhoughweconsiderthedomesticcrisis,itisoftendifficulttoanalyzeempirically
theeffectsofgenderquotasingeneral.Norris(2006),refersthat,itishardtodisentanglethe
effectsofgenderquotafromotherconfoundingfactorsrelatedtotemporaltrends.Inaddition,
whenreservationsbecomeapermanentinstitutionalfeatureitishardtodistinguishtheeffects
directlyrelatedtotheapplicationoftheserules(p.89).Lackofpresetspecificindicators,like
thenumberofunemployedwomen,thepercentageofdomesticviolenceandanumberof
uneducatedwomenetc,makedifficultforstudyinggenderquotasimpactinmanycountries.
Sincescholarwillnotbeabletocomparetheincreaseorreduceofindicatorsinrelationtothe
genderquotasystem.Likewise,Beamanetal.,(2008)discussthattoreviewthegenderquota
systemimpactonthedevelopmentofwomenssituation,oneneedtolookatwhetherthestates
considerchangingsocietyforthebettermentofbothwomenandmenornot.Whilewomenhave
beenunderthecontrolofpatriarchalsociety,reformulationofsocietyonlyfocusingonwomen
andignoringthemenwillcreatebacklashedtowardwomenandcreateresistancetoward
implementationofasuccessfulquotasystem.(p.89)
Besidesarguingthatwithouthavingadequatebaselineinformation,findingtheexact
impactofquotaisimpossible;Norrisalsoarguesthattheelectedwomenseducationlevel,the
powertoinfluenceandimposingindevelopmentofwomenfriendlypoliciesandlaw,hasa
directlinkinstudyingtheimpactofgenderquota(p.61).Womeninlegislationbodyshouldbe
abletosupportafeministagendatoempowerwomenssocialandeconomiccondition.
However,Bearman(2008)counterthisargument,andexplainthateventhoughtheelected

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womenthroughgenderquotainthelegislationbodieshavelimitedlevelofeducated,butnotall
womeninlegislativebodiesareuneducatedorunqualified(p.132).SomeelectedAfghanwomen
legislatorshavelimitedpoliticalqualification,duetolackaccesstoeducationandsocial
presencesinthepast.Howeveraspoliticalactors,theyhavebeenveryproductiveintheir
positions.AsRai(1999)incitesinherarticlethatresearcherneedstolookatwhichkindsof
womenaremadepresentbyquotas,howthesewomengainofficesandwhattheydooncethey
getthere(p.54).Generalizedstatementstowardgenderquotasystemimpactmayresultin
inaccuratefinding.
Largelyliteratureregardinggenderquotashasfocusedprimarilyontheeffectivenessof
thissystemoninstitutionalcontext,policydesignandpoliticalwell(Matland,2006).Whilea
limitednumberofworksconcentrateonquotasystemasamediumforpoliticalrepresentationof
women,(Schmidt&Saunders,2004),someothersanalyzehowtheeffectivenessofgender
quotasisshapedbysocioeconomicfactorsofasociety(Norris,2006).Despitethefactsthat
adequateworksofliteratureongenderquotafocusedontheimpactofquotaonwomen
empowermentwhether,itispositiveornegativeverylittleattentionhasbeendevotedto
analyzingtheeffectthatgenderquotamayproducetowardantifemaleprejudices.Dasgupta&
Asgari,(2004)statethattheeffectsofgenderquotasonpublicattitudestowardwomencould
theoreticallybepositiveornegative.Whileantifemaleprejudicesarebasedontheideathat
womenarepoorpolicymakers,beingexposedtogreaterfemaleinvolvementinpoliticsmay
helpvoterstomodifythesebeliefs(p.359)andwomenpoliticalleadershipsbecomemore
tangible.Furthermore,Rudman&Fairchild(2004)discussesthatgenderquotasmayresultin
evenstrongernegativeperceptionsagainstwomen,sincefemalepoliticiansareperceivedas

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violatingappropriategenderroles(p.89).Herein,implementationofgenderquotaisacomplex
phenomenon,whichmayvaryfromstatetostate.Genderbasedstereotypesshapepublic
opinionsonhowmenandwomenperformance.Contradictoryactionsmayresultinnegative
socioculturalandpoliticalconsequences,whichmayimpactthesuccessfulorfailure
implementationofthequotasystem.
However,politicalpartiesplayedagreatroleinreducingmoreofthosesocially
constructedstereotypesthroughinvolvingwomenintheirparty.Raiarguesthatalthoughmany
politicalpartiesdonotprovidewomenwiththesamesupportgiventotheirmalecolleagues,
however,womenelectedthroughpoliticalpartiesfacedlessstereotypeordiscrimination(p.67).
Raisuggeststhatwherewomenbecomerepresentativesthroughmechanismscontrolledby
partypoliticalhierarchiesratherthanbywayofmorebroadbasedpoliticalprocessesreflecting
therealsocialchange,quotascanacttolegitimateandperpetuatewomen'sactualabsenceof
powerratherthanbeinganeffectiveremedy(87).RaisargumentisbackedupbyBadri
&Balghis(2013)articleonSudanesewomen,thatthroughthegenderquotasystem,Sudanese
womenseemtobeinterestedinpoliticsandthisinitiativeseemstobemakingheadwayforthem
toachievegenderequalityandempowerment(p.152).Byanalyzingtheprocessofadopting
genderquotaaswellastheachievementsandchallengesrelatedtotheimplementationofquota,
theauthorsupportstheimplementationofgenderquotaasagenderequalityandwomen
empowermenttoolindevelopmentcountry.
Conclusion

Goingovertheliteratureongenderquotasimpactthatmayormaynotresultinwomens

empowermentandgenderequality,thispapercameacrosssomefeministresearcherswho

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claimedthatdespitetheincreaseinwomensdescriptiverepresentationinpolitics,however,
menstillremainoverrepresentedinalmosteverycountryreports(Dahlerup&Freidenvall
2005.p.62).Therearelimitedacademicresourceswhichconfirmthepositiveimpactquota
system,whichresultinovercomingwomensocialandpoliticaldiscrimination.
Accordingtofeministresearchmethodology,tostudytheimpactofthegenderquota,the
oldresearchmechanismsthroughwhichquotashasbeenstudied,womenrelatedissuesare
poorlyunderstoodanditmakesweaktoevaluatewhetherquotashaveachievedallthattheir
proponentshavehoped.AccordingtoDavidson&Schmich(2006),becausetherearefarfewer
positionsinnationalparliamentsthantherearecitizenseligibletoholdofficeitispossiblethat
womensnumericrepresentationinpowerfullegislaturescanrisewhilewomenremain
underrepresentedamongthecitizenswhoarequalifiedfor,aspireto,andareselectedas,
candidatesforelectiveoffice(p.94).Ifthiswerethecase,quotasgoalofimprovingwomens
participationinthedemocraticprocesswouldonlypartiallyhavebeenreached.Thusinorderto
determinewhethergenderquotashasapositiveimpactonwomengenderequalityandwomen
empowerment,wemustcarefullyexamineallaspectofthisphenomena.
Ultimately,discussingtheimpactofgenderquota,whichintendstoprovideapositive
advantageforwomentobeempoweredsocial,politicallyandeconomically:requiresa
considerableattentiontostudyrelatedaspects,suchaspoliticalmotivations,sociocultural
normsongender,socioeconomiccondition,levelofeducation.IncaseofAfghanistan,thereis
alsothecrucialneedtoaddressthecurrentstateofsecurityconditions.Allthesesmallbitsof
analysisarerequiredinordertounderstandwhetherwomeninpoliticscancontributetowards
equitablewomenempowermentornot.

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