Gender Relations in Higher Education in Afghanistan: A case study

Abstract

This thesis reports the findings of a mixed-method case study of female and male academics’ perceptions of gender inequality in a higher education workplace in Afghanistan. Despite some positive changes in women’s position within the family and within the economic and political spheres in the Post-Taliban era, women remain marginalised and discriminated against in public spaces. Currently, there is no research on academics’ perceptions of gender inequality in their workplace. This study employs social survey and in-depth interview methods to understand academics’ interpretations of gender inequality in their workplace, drawing on the concepts of public versus private patriarchy, inequality regimes, intersectionality and gender performativity. The data were collected from two universities in Afghanistan. The study shows the complexity of gender relations in an academic environment in Afghanistan. The findings reveal that gender inequality exists in higher education institutions, but that its existence has been normalised. Deep and longstanding gender inequalities in the wider socio-cultural context of Afghanistan, combined with aspects of university policies and practices, render gender inequalities in academia invisible to many, but not all, academics; both women and men. The findings suggest that the private realm of the family provides the support that encourages women to undertake education and career work, while retaining their responsibilities within the family.