---
title: "Asia Foundation: Among Afghan public, mixed support for women’s rights"
description: "As national elections in Afghanistan approach. surveys show mixed feelings among the Afghan public about women’s role in society."
date: "2014-04-03"
authors:
  - name: "Michael Lipka"
    job_title: "Associate Director, Research"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/michael-lipka/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2014/04/03/among-afghan-public-mixed-support-for-womens-rights/"
categories:
  - "News Media Trends"
  - "Religion & Politics"
  - "Rural, Urban and Suburban Communities"
---

# Asia Foundation: Among Afghan public, mixed support for women’s rights

[![Hispanic Views of Police](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2014/08/FT_14.08.27_PoliceRating.png?w=162)](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2014/08/FT_14.08.27_PoliceRating.png)

[![Afghan Women Wait For Voter Cards](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2014/04/FT_14.04.03_WomenVoteAfghanistan.jpg)](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2014/04/FT_14.04.03_WomenVoteAfghanistan.jpg)
*Afghan women wait to receive their voter cards at a voter registration center in Kabul on March 30, 2014.
Credit: Shah Marai/AFP/Getty Images*

The debate about women’s participation in Afghanistan’s political process has intensified ahead of this weekend’s elections, in part due to the [unusually high level of women’s involvement in campaigns](http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/SB10001424052702304157204579475322060072290-lMyQjAxMTA0MDAwMzEwNDMyWj). A record number of women are running for provincial council seats, [according to the New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/world/asia/afghan-women-see-hope-in-the-ballot-box.html?hp&_r=1), and [Habiba Sarobi](http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2014/0402/Afghan-presidential-ticket-offers-a-twist-a-female-veep-video) is the first female vice presidential candidate on a leading ticket.

Sarobi, however, has [reportedly received numerous death threats](http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/03/31/uk-afghanistan-elections-women-feature-p-idUKBREA2T0K620140331), and despite some visible gains for women’s rights – especially since the days of Taliban rule from 1996-2001 – surveys show mixed feelings among the Afghan public about women’s role in society. For example, there is a stark contrast between the share of Afghan women (60%) and men (35%) who support equal representation for men and women in elected government positions, according to a 2013 [survey of Afghans conducted by The Asia Foundation](http://asiafoundation.org/resources/pdfs/2013AfghanSurvey.pdf).

[![Asian Foundation: Afghans' Views About Women's Rights, Role in Society](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2014/04/FT-2014-04-03_Women-in-Afghanistan-2.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2014/04/03/among-afghan-public-mixed-support-for-womens-rights/ft-2014-04-03_women-in-afghanistan-2/)

On one hand, 90% of Afghans in that survey agreed that everyone should have equal rights under the law (regardless of gender), and 83% agreed that women should have the same opportunities as men in education – including a strong majority (78%) of Afghan men. (The survey also found that 76% of Afghan women have received no education, an area Sarobi cites as a key priority.)

But at the same time, a significant minority of Afghans (36%) said that women should not be allowed to work outside the home – a share that had grown from 27% in 2006. While 82% of Afghan women said in 2013 that women should be allowed to work outside the home, just 51% of men agreed.

Among those registered to vote in Afghanistan, only 35% are women, [the New York Times reports](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/world/asia/afghan-women-see-hope-in-the-ballot-box.html?hp&_r=1). And just 45% of Afghan men in The Asia Foundation survey said that women should decide themselves for whom to vote (compared with 62% of women). Nearly half (46%) of Afghans overall said that men should have some role in how women vote, either by advising them (25%) or by consulting with them before they decide (21%).

A Pew Research [survey of Muslims in 39 countries](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/04/30/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-overview/) conducted in 2011 in Afghanistan found that Afghan Muslims – [nearly 100% of the population](http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/afghanistan) – are very conservative on women’s issues relative to Muslims in other nations.

In our survey, only 30% of Afghan Muslims (including 40% of women) said women should decide if they wear a veil, [among the lowest levels of support](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/04/30/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-women-in-society/) for this in the countries surveyed. A similar share (30%) said sons and daughters should have equal inheritance rights, and nearly all Afghan Muslims (94%) said they completely or mostly agreed that a wife must always obey her husband.