Women's employment drops by 25% in Afghanistan since mid-2021 - ILO

FILE PHOTO: Afghan women draw sewing patterns on paper at a sewing workshop in Kabul, Afghanistan January 15, 2022. Picture taken January 15, 2022. REUTERS/Ali Khara

KABUL (Reuters) - Female employment in Afghanistan has dropped by a quarter after the Taliban took over the country, according to estimates from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which said the fall was exacerbated by restrictions on women working and studying.

The ILO said the 25% drop in female employment took place by the final quarter of 2022 from the second quarter of 2021, compared with a 7% drop for men. The Taliban took over the country in August 2021 as foreign forces withdrew.