How gender repression causes state fragility and extremism

The best predictor of a state’s stability is not its wealth or its type of government, but the extent to which women are granted social, political, and economic rights. In denying women access to schooling, legal rights, and participation within society, countries find themselves vulnerable to extremist ideologies, leading to structural and institutional collapse, and ultimately, political and economic failure. 

Since the return of the Taliban to Kabul in 2021, Afghanistan has experienced an economic crisis, driven by policies that systematically target women. In denying rights to both education and the workplace, Afghanistan is weakened by the exclusion of roughly half the workforce. This, in turn, undermines the economic productivity of the country and its capacity for economic growth in the future. In effect, the future tax base of the economy is destroyed, resulting in low economic complexity and leaving Afghanistan reliant on natural resources, thereby creating further vulnerability due to a lack of economic diversity. The United Nations Development Programme estimated that the GDP decline was around 20% from the year of the Taliban’s return in 2021 and that the restriction on women working could cost the nation $1 billion (Najafizada 2021). 

This political and economic deterioration has been further exacerbated by the halt on foreign aid being brought into the country, with budgets being reduced by up to 93%, as a result of the ongoing human rights violations taking place under the Taliban’s rule (Runde, 2024). This cycle of suppression and, hence, economic decline continues to isolate Afghanistan as a nation and deepens poverty, unemployment, and governmental weakness. In a vulnerable society where stability and state legitimacy are unable to thrive, extremist movements can exploit the insecurity of deprived nations and gain power in the precarity of their environment. In this context, the suppression of women directly acts to weaken the stability of the nation’s economy and, as a result, creates an environment where extremist ideologies can grow. 

Beyond the economic isolation and state policies that work to weaken political infrastructure, bride prices function as a social mechanism of patriarchal societies, which cause instability and facilitate extremist recruitment. For many men living in developing countries, marriage is a key marker of social status and economic success. However, in countries where bride prices remain customary, rising financial demands often create insecurity due to higher expectations on young men who are unable to afford marriage, as a result, inducing economic frustration and social exclusion. 

Sudan presents an example of how rising bride prices promote criminal activity and social and political unrest, as those unable to afford or meet the high demands often turn to crime in pursuit of social legitimacy and marriage. In extreme cases, extremist groups can profit from the frustration and insecurity of young men. For example, there are organisations such as Boko Haram in Nigeria that often provide marriage as an incentive to recruit new members, by offering a wife in return. Amnesty International has reported the abduction of 2,000 women and girls since 2015 by Boko Haram, who were subsequently forced into marriage with their members (Amnesty International 2024).  

The commodification of women through these practices further entrenches a gender divide and empowers violent power structures, which work to undermine them further and create environments in which extremism thrives.  

The suppression of female agency, whether economic or social, is hence a key driver in the decline of state legitimacy and stability across countries. As demonstrated through the Taliban’s policy-led exclusion of women from education and working life, gender exclusion and marginalisation directly affect economic growth by undermining productivity, whilst cultural practices such as bride prices intensify social insecurity, catalysing the growth of extremist ideologies.  

Bibliography: 

Johnson, A. (2024). Implications to Peace and Security in The Middle East: Bride Price & Terrorist Recruitment. [Online] American University: Journal of International Service.  Available at: https://ausisjournal.com/2024/05/05/implications-to-peace-and-security-in-the-middle-east-and-north-africa-bride-price-terrorist-recruitment/ (Accessed 8/2/2026)

Amnesty International (2024). Nigeria: Decade after Boko Haram attack on Chibok, 82 girls still in captivity. [Online] Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/04/nigeria-decade-after-boko-haram-attack-on-chibok-82-girls-still-in-captivity/ (Accessed 8/2/2026)

Najafizada, E. (2021). A Taliban ban on women in the workforce can cost the economy $1bn. [Online] Al Jazeera. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/12/1/talibans-ban-on-women-in-the-workforce-can-cost-economy-1bn (Accessed 8/2/2026)

Runde, D.F., Pforzheimer, A., Bryja, T. and Smutny, C. (2024). The Future of Assistance for Afghanistan. [Online] Centre for Strategic and International Studies. Available at: https://www.csis.org/analysis/future-assistance-afghanistan-dilemma (Accessed 8/2/2026)

Saenger, T.R., Kapstein, E.B. and Sircar, R. (2024). Estimating the collapse of Afghanistan’s economy using nightlights data. PLoS ONE, 19(12)