Women of Afghanistan in the Post-Taliban Era.

• Author: Gambs, Irina
• Position: FURTHER READING - Book review

WOMEN OF AFGHANISTAN IN THE POST-TALIBAN ERA

Rosemarie Skaine

(Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2008), 193 pages.

Rosemarie Skaine's Women of Afghanistan in the Post-Taliban Era attempts to evaluate changes in the quality of life for Afghanistan's women since the fall of the Taliban. Despite the book's dense documentation from NGOs, the UN and government officials, the language and structure of the book is very accessible. While the author did not live in or visit Afghanistan, the book still gives the reader a compelling view on an important issue.

Skaine's optimism regarding the future of women in Afghanistan mainly originates from her discussions with women who are currently high-level government officials and who secured their positions as a result of the U.S. invasion. While this is a very important trend, the majority of these success stories concern women who were educated and/or lived in the West for some time. Considering that Afghanistan's poverty prevents all but a few very elite members of the society from sending their children abroad, one might wonder if these women truly represent change for Afghan women more generally.

Additional evidence seems encouraging at first glance, but Skaine utilizes incomplete measures such as "enrollment...