Research on Household Duties Performed by Women in Afghan..

In August 2019, the Support to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Program of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH commissioned Afghan– Australian Research and Management Consulting (ARM Consulting) to conduct a study on household duties in Afghanistan. The research was conducted to comprehensively analyze women’s household activities and identify gaps in women’s knowledge and skills related to carrying out domestic chores. More specifically, the study helps accomplish five objectives: (I) identifying domestic tasks performed by women in Afghan households, (ii) determining quasi-economic activities carried out by women in addition to household chores, (iii) gauging gaps in women’s knowledge and their training demands with regards to performing household duties, (iv) highlighting the socio-economic background of target groups, and (v) assessing the feasibility of distance learning in the target areas.

The study employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods comprised of a literature review, field visits, face-to-face structured interviews (survey), field observation, and Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) workshops with housewives in urban and rural areas of Kabul Province. To identify key household activities in Afghanistan, ARM Consulting held seven one-day workshops in which 88 women participated. The initial three workshops were organized in Kabul city with 40 urban housewives, followed by four workshops with 48 rural housewives in the Paghman, Qarabagh, Bagramai, and Dehsabz districts of Kabul Province. After developing DACUM charts on household duties in rural and urban contexts, household-level face-to-face structured interviews were conducted using a survey questionnaire with 389 housewives (239 urban, 150 rural). In addition, the study involved observing 30 rural communities to gauge the feasibility of using community spaces and facilities for training purposes.