The women of Afghanistan are at home… and the city’s merchants are paying the bill

New restrictions imposed by the Taliban government’s morality police on women’s clothing in the city of Herat in western Afghanistan caused a decline in market activity, after many women chose to stay at home for fear of being arrested.

Shop owners, drivers, and residents told Agence France-Presse that the absence of female customers directly affected commercial activity in the city, which is one of the most prominent commercial centers in the country, as women constitute the largest percentage of market customers.

A number of merchants confirmed that their sales have declined significantly since the start of the campaign to tighten the dress code, noting that clothing, shoe and transportation stores were particularly affected.

One shoe store owner said that most of his sales depended on women, explaining that men often do not have time to shop, in light of the shrinking job opportunities available to women.

The Taliban’s morality police arrested dozens of women in Herat last June, on charges of not adhering to the official dress code, which requires wearing clothes that completely cover the body, such as the chador or burqa. The city also witnessed a rare protest against these restrictions, which was dispersed by force, according to the United Nations.

Since its return to power in 2021, the Taliban movement has imposed a series of restrictions on women’s participation in public life, including preventing them from continuing education after the primary stage, restricting their work in some fields, and preventing them from entering a number of public places.

Economists believe that these measures increase pressure on the Afghan economy, which is already suffering from a humanitarian crisis and a decline in foreign aid, stressing that any economic recovery requires strengthening the role of the private sector and the participation of women in the labor market.

A small truck driver in Herat said that his daily income decreased by almost half after the decline in women’s movement in the streets, while other merchants confirmed that the markets lost a large part of their activity due to the absence of female customers.

One shop owner said: “The market depends on women, and if women are absent, there is no market.”