View: It’s not a wrap for Afghanistan’s women | Economic Times

One common mistake we make is to judge women by their appearances, or more specifically, their choice of clothes. We naively imagine that western wear signals modernity, progressiveness, and spunk. Wearers of traditional clothes are dismissed as frumpy and regressive, or welcomed as modest and graceful, depending on the leanings of the people making the observations. But do clothes maketh the woman any more than they maketh the man?In 2008 I met a young Pakistani woman at a conference in Dhaka. She was dressed in a salwar kameez and a hijab. She turned out to be working on a PhD in defence studies and was the first person—male or female—in her family to go to college. Her father and brothers were non-commissioned officers in Pakistan Air Force and conservative. So I was curious to know how she was “allowed”, as a girl, to study so much rather than be married off early.She said the trade-off were her clothes. As long as she dressed “modestly” and traditionally, they let her pursue what was undoubtedly a very unconventional career path for a girl from her background. Her appearance camouflaged the real “her”. And the fact that most people made the same (wrong) assessment, she had been able to progress in her field without arousing any significant opposition from the usual suspects in her family and conservative society.I was reminded of this encounter when I saw photos in social media this week of Afghan girls from the 1960s and 1970s, smiling in their short dresses and bouffant hairdos. The allusion was obviously to their imminent plight under the Taliban. My immediate thought was that there is no evidence that the westernised Afghan girls of yore had more chutzpah than those in Afghanistan today. Burkhas and niqabs can cover bodies but not suppress spirits and thoughts.Most of the pathbreaking women thinkers and activists in India have worn sarees or other traditional wear. Their choice of traditional clothes has never defined or confined who or what they are. Conversely, conservative Indian minds also lurk behind logo-emblazoned western wear. Of course, there are exceptions: both sartorial camps have their share of freethinkers as well as conformists which makes generalisations about appearances even more futile.People working in Afghanistan for women’s rights in the past two decades point out that while mini-skirts and trousers were indeed seen in the 1960s and 1970s, and education and jobs were possible, these opportunities were restricted to urban women. Even then, not all women in Kabul dressed that way or had those freedoms. And 90% of Afghans lived in rural areas at that time, where unchanged tribal and clan practices persisted, and reform was resisted.The 20th century saw a prolonged, ding-dong battle between progressive and regressive segments in Afghanistan. But westernisation and progress are not synonymous. Over the decades, despite phases of reforms and rights for women followed by regression back to old mores—including before and after the Soviet invasion and now after the withdrawal of US and its allies—over all there has been forward movement for women, albeit slow and patchy.Unfortunately, Afghan social structures remain intrinsically misogynist. The difference in the 21st century, however, is that the percentage of Afghan women who have had a taste of education and careers has increased significantly. The real imminent hindrance to them is not the reimposition of niqabs but the probability of being denied access to what more and more of them—although far short of all—had gotten used to in the past 20 years.Education is the true key to emancipation of the mind; burkhas, hijabs and niqabs are just superficial impediments, just like skirts and trousers are cosmetic evidence of progress. No one knows that better than the resilient women of Afghanistan. And if like that Pakistani girl, wearing headscarves will make it possible for them to at least get an education – in proper schools, not only religious ones – Afghanistan’s women will live to fight another day.