UN Women Report Highlights Deepening Hardships and Gender Inequality for Afghan Women

A newly released 2025 gender analysis by UN Women reports that structural gender inequality and operational restrictions on female humanitarian workers in Afghanistan have significantly limited women’s access to essential services and livelihood opportunities. The assessment indicates that these constraints, combined with broader economic shocks and declining international funding, are pushing women and girls toward deeper deprivation.

The report highlights that female-headed households, particularly those managed by widows, face compounded barriers related to mobility, income generation, and access to critical information. High levels of food insecurity disproportionately affect women across the country, increasing reliance on harmful coping mechanisms. According to the analysis, families are increasingly resorting to child labor, withdrawing girls from school, and arranging early marriages as survival strategies amid worsening economic conditions.

In response to these findings, UN Women has called for integrated, gender-responsive humanitarian planning. The agency recommends that aid programs prioritize the needs of at-risk women and girls while implementing measures to reduce dependence on harmful coping strategies. The report emphasizes that addressing structural barriers and ensuring the safe participation of female aid workers are essential steps toward mitigating the humanitarian crisis and restoring equitable access to support services for Afghan women.