Women Drivers Emerge in Afghanistan

As reported by CNN, in Kabul, Afghanistan it is very rare to see a woman driver. Last year in the Kabul region, “out of 17,000 driver’s licenses that were issued, only 85 went to women.” Since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, which made it illegal for women to drive, more and more women have taken to the wheel. According to Abdul Shokoor Ziaee, “more women should learn how to drive because men and women have equal rights.” Mr. Ziaee opened a Technical and Driving Course school in 2001 and says that “he has seen a small increase recently in the number of women in his school.” Mr. Ziaee has taught both his wife and his daughter, Sofia, 14, how to drive. Sofia “likes driving so much,” however she will not legally be able to dive until she is 19, the legal age for driving in Afghanistan.
According to CNN, driving is not completely foreign to the women of Afghanistan. They report that in the 1980’s the women of Afghanistan had greater rights, which included driving, until the Taliban took over in the 1990’s. Although today women are legally able to drive, “husbands, brothers, and fathers have the final say.” While the legal rights may be there, “Afghanistan is not where it was 30 years ago and women behind the wheel will invite strangers’ stares.”
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