HSC Society and Culture: Continuity and Change — Afghanistan

Flashcards covering key sociological concepts, historical dates, statistics, and Conflict Theory analysis related to continuity and change in Afghanistan.

Conflict Theory

A sociological theory associated with Karl Marx arguing that society is shaped by unequal power and access to resources, where powerful groups maintain control while disadvantaged groups have fewer opportunities.

Power

The ability to influence or control others.

Authority

The recognised right to exercise power.

Continuity

The social structures and inequalities that remain over time.

Change

The alteration of social structures, values, and behaviours over time.

Artificial Scarcity

Restricting access to opportunities or resources, making people more dependent on those in power.

Artificial Scarcity (Afghanistan Context)

Restricting girls' education to limit their future employment and financial independence, which helps maintain existing gender inequalities.

Education Expansion (2001–2021)

A period of change where education expanded following the fall of the previous Taliban government, culminating in approximately 9.5 million pupils enrolled in 2020.

2020 Education Enrollment Benchmark

The point at which approximately 9.5 million pupils were enrolled in Afghan education, including 3.7 million girls.

March 2022 Education Ban

The action taken by the Taliban to prevent girls from returning to secondary school.

20 December 2022 Education Directive

The date when women were officially banned by the Taliban from attending universities.

August 2024 UNESCO Report

A report documenting that 1.4 million girls had been deliberately denied secondary education since the Taliban's bans began.

August 2025 UNESCO Report

A report stating that approximately 2.2 million girls were barred from education beyond primary school.

Social Mobility through Education

The process by which education creates independence and social mobility, which is restricted by ruling groups to preserve unequal power relationships.

Historical Continuity in Employment

The long-standing structural barrier where women have historically faced obstacles to employment and financial independence in Afghan society.

24 December 2022 NGO Ban

The Taliban decree banning women from working for national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

UN Women's 2024 Afghanistan Gender Profile

The publication that recorded that the NGO ban affected more than 15,000 women employed across 183 national and international NGOs.

June 2021–End of 2022 Employment Divergence

A period during which women's employment rates fell by 25%, compared with a 7% fall for men.

Employment and Conflict Theory

The concept that restricting women's employment limits their financial independence and directly reinforces unequal gender power relationships.

Continuity in Afghan Gender Roles

The ongoing influence of patriarchal values, family expectations, and religious beliefs across many aspects of Afghan society.

Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice

A law introduced by the Taliban on 21 August 2024 that formalised restrictions on behaviour, dress, and women's participation in public life.

Morality Inspectors (April 2025 Deployment)

Approximately 3,300 enforcement officials reported by UNAMA to have been deployed across 28 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces to enforce vice and virtue laws.

UNAMA

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan; reported in April 2025 on the deployment of morality inspectors enforcing Taliban edicts.

Pashtunwali

A traditional Pashtun social code associated with honour, hospitality, and loyalty; it varies across communities and does not represent every Afghan community.

Uneven Social Change

The reality that social change affects groups unequally, mediated by factors including gender, wealth, location, and access to education.

2024 Labour Force Participation Disparity

Statistical inequality showing that around 24% of Afghan women participated in the labour force, compared with nearly 90% of men.

2025 UN Women Youth Disparity Report

Data showing that nearly 80% of young women aged 18–29 were not in education, employment, or training, compared with 20% of young men.

Strengths of Conflict Theory (Evaluation)

Explains how restrictions maintain inequality, shows how powerful groups use laws and institutions to influence behaviour, and explains why leadership changes reverse progress.

Limitations of Conflict Theory (Evaluation)

May overlook cooperation, shared cultural values, and individual choices, while failing to fully explain the influence of war, foreign intervention, and technological development.

Religious Authority and State Enforcement

The mechanisms through which the Taliban regulate social behaviour, demonstrating how political power can reinforce particular cultural expectations.