Given the oppressive rule of the Taliban, how could women survive without men in their family? The book The Other Side of the Sky by Farah Ahmedi and Tamim Ansary, answers that question by the journey of Farah and her mother. Their journey goes from Afghanistan all the way to America. On this trip, Farah and her mom face many hardships, including their physical injuries and losing their family. In Afghanistan and Pakistan women lacked various rights under Taliban rule that limited their freedoms, but conditions have improved since the Taliban relinquished their power, which shows that given the opportunity women can become independent. Under the Taliban rule, women could not go outside unless they had a male chaperone, but since the Taliban left women now have the freedom to be outside on their own. When Farah was living …show more content…
When Farah and her mom traveled to Pakistan to get away from the Taliban, they attempted to rent a house, but were rejected. “But at first no one would rent to us. ‘You are two women alone,’ they said. ‘We can’t rent to you unless you have a man with you’” (120). The statement “you have to have a man with you” illustrates that women had no rights of their own. Without a man, women were limited in what they could do, which made life difficult for Farah and her mom. These restrictions needed to change in order to give women more personal freedoms, so they could become more independent. The Taliban policies were so restrictive, after their departure life became more tolerable for women. One of the freedoms they gained was the right to own land. “The 2004 Constitution provides that women cannot be precluded from owning or acquiring land or non-land assets” (Afghanistan). This law allowed women to provide shelter for themselves if there were no men in their lives. Right of land ownership increased their level of