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By Orooj Hakimi
KABUL (Reuters) – Shagufa Haidari, 23, a Kam Air stewardess from Afghanistan, used to fly six days a week across the country and abroad to Istanbul, Islamabad and Delhi.
Then the new coronavirus arrived. Now he hardly flies, most of his colleagues have been suspended, and aviation officials warn that they may be out of a job entirely as they contemplate the dire scenario of the industry collapse.
Airlines are fighting globally, but the loss of Afghanistan’s aviation sector would have additional collateral damage, destroying one of the few bright spots for female employment at a time when conservative society also faces the possibility of the Taliban coming back. to play a role in government.
Haidari, who got her dream job at the age of 20, says it is a life-changing opportunity for ambitious young women.
“It is a job full of emotion and a world of adventure,” he said.
Things have improved for women in Afghanistan since the Taliban, which banned female education and women from leaving home without a male relative, were ousted from power in 2001, particularly in urban areas.
A new generation of women with college degrees and jobs has emerged in a variety of fields, including business and politics.
But still, the female employment rate is a fraction of that of men, with only a fifth of women in the labor market and an unemployment rate of 67% for women looking for work, according to Gallup data from 2018.
Afghan women who choose a career say they face hostility, whether from conservative or Islamist relatives, for pursuing a career path and financial independence.
Many are concerned that the situation will only worsen if the Taliban take a political role in a power-sharing deal as the United States withdraws its troops under a pact with the militants.
The Taliban say they have changed and that they would allow women to work outside the home, provided they are separated from men. But many women are cautious.
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‘EDUCATION AND TALENT’
Airlines have welcomed women in various roles. About 30% of the 580 employees of the national airline Ariana are women, while Kam Air employs 106 women, 46 of them flight attendants, as well as pilots and managers.
“Kam Air has always tried to have more employees,” said Suliman Omar, its commercial officer.
“Our criteria is the education and talent of our employees, not gender.”
But with most ground flights due to the coronavirus, Kam Air has asked 80% of its staff to stay home without pay as it suffers the loss of $ 6.5 million in revenue each week.
“We face a very serious threat of collapse,” said Omar.
Ariana posted a loss of $ 4.3 million in the first quarter, compared to $ 14 million in revenue in the same period last year.
The airlines have joined forces with the Civil Aviation Authority to ask the government for help.
Mohammad Hedayat, a press adviser to Second Vice President Sarwar Danish, who has been heavily involved in the coronavirus response, said the presidency had received the request.
“But a decision has not yet been made in the cabinet,” Hedayat said.
Taxes paid by airlines are an important source of income for a country that is highly dependent on falling foreign aid flows.
And the growth of the domestic air network has provided a lifeline for many Afghans who would otherwise have no choice but to travel on arduous and dangerous roads.
“By car, you are dying,” said businessman Shakib Yarzada, 35, who makes four business trips a month by air, referring to militant violence.
Flight attendants can only wait and wait.
“For someone like me with only aviation experience, there is no other job opportunity,” said Ariana’s flight attendant Ellaha Nawabi, 25.
“It is the best job opportunity for women.”
(Report by Orooj Hakimi; additional report by Storay Karimi and Charlotte Greenfield; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Robert Birsel)
