~Afghanistan Women~

What is the role of women in Afghanistan? Early on in the book we read about the mother that breast fed both Amir and Hassan. Immediately we knew that women were the soul provider of children; with their birth, with their nutrition, with their health and safety. Although Amir's mother died and Hassan's mother had run off, as a reader we still had the ability of seeing the role that mother's have in their children's lives. They are not only the soul provider for their children, but for the husband to which most were arranged to marry. They were not given the choice of a life partner, but yet their father was able to choose for them. As in the book, Amir tells his father to ask the General for his daughter's hand. Although, Soraya and Amir are happily married, most Afghani women are not. They live day to day, hidden behind the walls of their home; washing dishes, making beds, and providing food for their family. They are not able to choose a job, a job that they may actually enjoy and be good at. Most are forced to work only in their homes and are able to come out only on occasion. They are not given the opportunity to be active participants in how the government is run. They are not given the opportunity to live the life they dream of living, to be the person they want to be. All women of Afghanistan are forced to be just like every other woman. Each woman is forced to cover her face with a shawl so that her eyes may be the only thing seen. They are forced to wear long outfits so their body is hidden away from people. Before the Taliban, women had many restrictions. They were violated in their freedom of human rights, expression, employment, and education. Although today the restrictions have been lifted to some extent, women of Afghanistan will never live the lives that they fully dream of.