The result of a new study on the economic consequences of excluding women and girls in Afghanistan from education and work shows that the Taliban government’s ban costs the Afghan economy more than $1.4 billion annually.
Harry Anthony Patrinos, head of educational policy at the University of Arkansas, and Raja Bentaouet Kattan, an education expert at the World Bank, along with Rafiuddin Najm, an economist at American University, are the authors of this research.
These three researchers published their findings on economic changes using labor and household data from Afghanistan for the years 2007, 2014, and 2020 on the Conversation website.
They emphasized in their study that the financial loss from excluding women and girls from education and work is greater than previous estimates made by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Two years ago, UNICEF announced that the ban on secondary education for girls had caused at least $500 million in damage to Afghanistan’s economy.
This new study emphasizes that the estimated financial loss only includes direct financial impacts and does not account for social costs resulting from reduced education levels for women, such as negative effects on health, children’s education, and social inequalities.
Researchers clarified the economic impact of current government actions against women by stating that Afghanistan’s GDP in 2023 was only $17 billion.
These experts stressed that investing in women’s education not only leads to economic growth but also has long-term social benefits such as improved public health and reduced poverty, resulting in higher school attendance rates and better health for children.
The authors of the study emphasize that the continuation of this ban will eliminate educational and economic opportunities for generations and will pose deeper challenges for Afghanistan.
Part of this research states that investing in women’s education affects not only the women themselves but also brings economic and social benefits that can last for generations.
These benefits include higher school attendance rates and improved health for children.
The research compares the impact of women’s education and work on the country’s economy during the period following the fall of the current government in 2001 with the year 2020.
The results indicate that when educational opportunities are provided for women and girls, child mortality rates decreased by half, and gross national income nearly tripled.
The study examines the role of education in economic growth globally, noting that the average return on investment in education is about 9 percent for each additional year of schooling.
The analysis shows that while the return on investment in education in Afghanistan is low, it significantly increases when focusing on women’s education.
According to the findings of this research, for each additional year of schooling for a woman, her income increases by an average of 13 percent.
