Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
It’s been five years since Taliban rule descended on Afghanistan. The regime is one of the world’s most repressive for women and girls: girls are barred from education beyond the age of 11-12; women are banned from most jobs and public life, and the Taliban have passed a law which has, in effect, legalized child marriage.
Tom Sasse, The Economist’s South Asia bureau chief, has just returned from a 1,000km road trip inside Afghanistan. He joins Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief, and a panel of expert journalists to discuss what the country is like today and whether there’s any hope that life for women and girls will improve any time soon.
#afghanistan #taliban
00:00 - What’s life like as a woman under the Taliban?
01:31 - The secret Taliban divide about women’s rights
02:27 - What Tom heard on his visit to a madrassa
03:44 - The new laws making life worse for women in Afghanistan
04:35 - Who is Hibatullah Akhundzada and how strong is his grip on power?
05:27 - When will things get better for Afghan women and girls?
Watch the full show: bit.ly/4wtFom8
Sign up to the Insider newsletter: https://econ.st/4nOyzIb
Subscribe to The Economist: economist.com/subscribe
Download our app: economist.com/get-the-app
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It’s been five years since Taliban rule descended on Afghanistan. The regime is one of the world’s most repressive for women and girls: girls are barred from education beyond the age of 11-12; women are banned from most jobs and public life, and the Taliban have passed a law which has, in effect, legalized child marriage.
Tom Sasse, The Economist’s South Asia bureau chief, has just returned from a 1,000km road trip inside Afghanistan. He joins Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief, and a panel of expert journalists to discuss what the country is like today and whether there’s any hope that life for women and girls will improve any time soon.
#afghanistan #taliban
00:00 - What’s life like as a woman under the Taliban?
01:31 - The secret Taliban divide about women’s rights
02:27 - What Tom heard on his visit to a madrassa
03:44 - The new laws making life worse for women in Afghanistan
04:35 - Who is Hibatullah Akhundzada and how strong is his grip on power?
05:27 - When will things get better for Afghan women and girls?
Watch the full show: bit.ly/4wtFom8
Sign up to the Insider newsletter: https://econ.st/4nOyzIb
Subscribe to The Economist: economist.com/subscribe
Download our app: economist.com/get-the-app
Follow The Economist on Instagram: instagram.com/theeconomist
Follow The Economist on Facebook: facebook.com/TheEconomist
Follow The Economist on X: https://x.com/TheEconomist
