Afghanistan's first graduates in women's studies donned caps and gowns on Sunday to collect their unusual qualifications in the patriarchal country.
Kabul University is the country's first higher education institute to offer a degree focused on gender and women's issues, according to the United Nations Development Program and university officials.
Feminist theories, media, civil society and conflict resolution were among the largely women-focus topics covered in the two-year Master's course, funded by South Korea and run by the UNDP. Offering such a degree would have been unthinkable during the regime Taliban's repression 1996-2001, when female issues were taboo and women were largely confined to their homes and banned from education.
While protection of women's rights has improved since a US-led invasion toppled the Taliban, they remain second-class citizens in the male-dominated country.
Among the 22 graduates were seven men, including Mujtaba Arefi.
"This is the beginning of a change," said Arefi to AFP as he waited to receive his certificate.
"With these programs, we can understand the women's place and status in our society. There is the possibility that we will reach a level of equality gender like the West." Another graduate, Sajia Sediqqi, said she hoped her classmates would use their degrees to improve the situation of women in Afghanistan.
"In a short period of time we can not bring about any dramatic change, but with our high education we can help change our society and serve our people, especially our women."
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