Paving the Way for Women in Government.

Democracy and Governance | Gender Equality and Social Inclusion | Women's Empowerment | Civil Society, Civic Engagement, and Independent Media

Asia

Promote: Women in Government Project

Project Dates: April 2015 - June 2020

Historically, women have been extremely underrepresented in the Afghan government, and as a result, they have had limited ability to shape policies and programs that directly affect them.

Afghan women face a number of obstacles to working in the government, including widely held beliefs that women should stay at home and out of public workspaces. To counter these views, the USAID Promote: Women in Government project focused on increasing women’s participation in decision-making roles in Afghanistan’s government. One-year internship programs for female high school and university graduates helped women obtain government jobs. The project also worked with government ministries to assess human resource policies and recommend changes that provided a better working environment for women. Additionally, the project increased local community support for women working in government through innovative nationwide communications campaigns.

3,059

interns graduated from internship program

1,778

intern graduates employed

15

legal instruments drafted, proposed, and adopted

Project Goals

Train and provide hands-on experience to 3,000 female high school and university graduates to promote their entry into the government workforce
Partner with ministries to assess and improve human resource policies that cultivate a more hospitable working environment for women in government
Conduct innovative communications campaigns to encourage changes in perception and acceptance of women working in the Afghan Civil Service

Our Impact Tipping the Scales for Workplace Gender Equity in Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, women have faced systemic barriers to working outside the home. A USAID project focused on gender equity in the workplace reshaped its own human resources practices to promote gender equity for its staff and achieved surprising results.

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Our Impact Transforming Afghanistan’s Future

A unique year-long program is changing the lives of young Afghan women.

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