Is it true that autonomy of women varies depending on the region?

[u/AntonyDosSantoz]

I’ve always been very interested about the quality of life in Afghanistan, specifically when some people say it isn’t as bad in some regions. I’ve just heard that this could be attributed to a parallel government being run by the National Resistance Front, which is a lot less restrictive than the Taliban. Apparently women are free to roam independently and mostly do whatever they want in the regions run by the NRF. Even men have more liberties due to sharia law being less imposed on the day to day life.

Is the phenomenon of different rulings based on region actually true? Or is it just romanticizing the perception of the country? And if it was true, would a woman be able to move independently from for example Kandahar to these regions independently without repercussion?

[u/crapjap]

There’s no parallel government as such. The national resistance front is in fragments now since the ashraf ghani had dismantled them. So now their leaders are in Tajikistan, france etc but they are trying to come together and unite again. So these small fragments of National resistance front (separately)have managed to take back some of the parts of badakshan from Taliban. And badakshan is a majority tajik province. So the parts that got rid of talibs, opened up schools and institutions for girls and women again and some women are even going for work and stuff. Also, before Taliban, the areas that were pashtun majority like kandahar etc. were always extremely conservative and restrictive about women, their education and freedom. Hazaras are the most forward or progressive communities where the girls and guys could date each other as well, have gf/bfs, education is a must for both men and women. So yeah..it depends

[u/Fantastic_Freedom_19]

Not sure about it from a political level, so I’d also like an answer on that. 

But culturally speaking, norms and values vary quite a bit across the country. As I’ve said multiple times in other posts, Afghanistan is incredibly diverse, so yes, some women may have more autonomy than other women depending on what ethnic group they belong to. 

As for if a woman would face any repercussions for moving to a more autonomous region, she most definitely would. Women moving to another city alone, is a taboo, and I don’t think any family would allow such an arrangement, regardless of ethnic background. Family is a highly regarded aspect for all Afghans, so the chances of this happening is very rare. 

Hope this helps!