A women-only shopping center in Herat is closing its doors because of low demand after only a year of operation.
Banowan-e-Prince in Herat city says the lack of customers and economic challenges has meant business is unsustainable for the 12 women-owned shops inside.
The center had employed at least 25 women in the 12 shops since opening its doors a year and four months ago.
Shopkeepers have told Rukhshana Media that some of them suffered losses of at least 50 percent.
Businesswoman Parisa* opened her shop a year ago with an investment of 300,000 afghanis (US$4300) but recently decided to close her shop because of poor sales.
“In the beginning, sales were good. I earned about eight thousand afghanis (US$110) a day. But it’s decreased over time until recently I was making only 100 (US$1) or 50 afghanis per day,” she said.
She has estimated her losses are around 150,000 afghanis (US$2200) after she was forced to sell her stock for less than the original price.
“People couldn’t afford to buy our goods. The buyers wouldn’t buy the products at the prices we wanted to sell. When they’re not sold at the right price, we had to sell them below the price,” she said.
It has meant Parisa struggled to pay the monthly shop rent, electricity, and water bills.
Parisa said women’s purchasing power has dramatically dropped since the Taliban de facto government forced women to stop working and put restrictions on their travel. Many women are now completely dependent on male family members.
“When women don’t have a business, they don’t have money, and when they don’t have money, they can never buy,” she said.
Since returning to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban has forced women from employment in most sectors and enforced travel bans and women’s access without male chaperones.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) recently reported that it estimates the Taliban’s restrictions on women have caused up to $1 billion in economic damage.
