2020 Theses Master's

Afghan Women in Governance: Balancing Politics and the Predicament of Vernacularization of Human Rights Discourse on the Ground

Yousafzai, Neelab

This thesis offers a critical analysis of the Afghan women politician’s life experiences through their accounts of human rights. This study analyzes the key strategies Afghan women politicians used to set agenda and advance gender equality and women’s rights within the context of their realities. Specifically, focusing on post-2001 human rights movements to offer an understanding of how the path to reconstruction of gender equality impacts the political and social life of Afghan women. Afghan women politicians are confronted with many obstacles and challenges in their daily life and work. I conducted this research to provide a deeper understanding of the circumstances of women politicians’ decision-making and legislative authorities that influence and/or hinder policy on gender equality. This research is designed to contribute to filling the gap in the literature on women’s rights in Afghanistan by examining the factors that explain how Afghan women politicians navigate, adapt, co-opt, and/or omit human rights norms and discourse to advance gender equality within their social, and cultural context. This thesis will assess the interconnections between women politician’s agency, influence, self-perception, patterns of operation, challenges, and motivations in relation to women’s advancement within the government. Examining the way Afghan women politicians approach women’s rights and gender equality provides us with their account of nuances and complexities that occupy the government structures and policies.