After the collapse of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, and the return of Taliban rule, the structure of the former government almost completely disintegrated. Members of the Taliban’s militant leadership assumed control of the country’s institutions of power.
The Taliban appointed individuals loyal to their movement to government positions claiming that they had fought in the (Jahaad) over the past 20 years. However, many citizens believe that these individuals had histories of terrorism, violence and abuse and that they replaced qualified and experienced professionals.
Meanwhile, a number of male civil servants were retained in lower-ranking positions (Grades 4, 5, and 6) while others were gradually dismissed from their posts. In late 2025 and early 2026, thousands of male civil servants from the former government lost their jobs under a downsizing order issued by Mulla Hebatullah.
Female employees, however, whether in the military, civil, or service sectors, faced patriarchal ideology, discrimination, and systematic exclusion from the very first days of Taliban rule.
The ruling group has not only dismissed women from their positions, but has also subjected women and girls to repression, threats and killings, depriving them of their most basic human rights, including education, employment and travel.
Findings by« Voice of Afghan Women» indicate that, at present, women are represented in only four ministries and a small number of departments and independent directorates out of 23 ministries and dozens of independent institutions. In some cases this presence is merely« symbolic and unofficial».
The Taliban regime has excluded women from at least 19 ministries and dozens of independent departments and directorates. Statistics show that under the former government women made up approximately 25 to 28 percent of public-sector employees؛ however, this figure has fallen to less than five percent under Taliban administration.
At present, women continue to work officially within the Taliban’s Ministries of Education and Public Health and receive salaries؛ however their presence in these two ministries has declined significantly compared to the former government.
A source told« Voice of Afghan Women» that women do not hold official positions within the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior؛ rather, they are only used informally and on a contractual basis in specific cases.
According to the source, the Taliban regime has maintained the presence of a small number of women within the ministry primarily for propaganda purposes and to project a more acceptable public image.
At the same time, another source, who requested anonymity, told« Voice of Afghan Women» that the head of women entrepreneurs and businesswomen affairs at the Taliban’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce is also a woman؛ however, no image of her has been made public so far.
The Taliban continue to employ women in passport and national ID offices to provide services to female applicants؛ however, sources say that the group has also dismissed a number of female employees from these offices in recent months.
According to sources, the Taliban told female employees in these offices that the number of female applicants had declined and that government funding had also decreased؛ therefore, a number of women were laid off from their positions as part of a downsizing process.
Although« Voice of Afghan Women» does not have sufficient information regarding the presence of female employees in Taliban prisons, previous statements from a number of women released from Taliban prisons indicated that there were no female staff members in these facilities.
However, findings and interviews with sources indicate that the ruling regime has reduced the presence of female employees in 19 ministries to zero and efforts to further reduce their presence in other ministries are also ongoing.
One of the busiest institutions for women within the Taliban’s governing structure is the Supreme Court. Women visit this court to have their petitions and requests reviewed and followed up؛ however, there are no women present within the court’s organizational structure.
Over the past more than four years, the Taliban group has not only taken over the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and replaced it with the« Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and Complaints» but has also made other ministries and government institutions entirely male-dominated.
This suffocating and alarming situation has day by day, increased fear, threats, and repression against women. In recent days as well several cases of murder, mistreatment and violence against women have been reported, both by the ruling group and within families؛ however, as in previous years, these cases have remained without investigation or follow-up.
Photo credited: Internet
