Afghanistan, one of the few countries without women in high political positions

What we know about the Taliban government in Afghanistan 2:23

(CNN) -

The Taliban announced the formation of an interim government for Afghanistan this week, led by a hardline group of veteran militants.

In Tuesday's announcement, women were notably absent, and the post for the Women's Ministry appears to have been eliminated entirely under the new regime.

Despite recent promises by the Taliban to respect women's rights, a look at the new interim government suggests that the group's government could very well mirror its previous regime when women virtually disappeared from public life.

• Who are the leaders of the Taliban movement, who have just announced a new provisional government in Afghanistan?

What we know about the Taliban government in Afghanistan 2:23

Women held just 6.5% of ministerial positions in Afghanistan before the Taliban took over the country, according to January 2021 data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), an international organization of national parliaments based in Geneva.

Now the country joins the ranks of only a dozen other countries where there are no women in high-ranking positions in government.

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They are Azerbaijan, Armenia, Brunei, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam and Yemen, according to the most recent IPU data.

The absence of women in the government of Afghanistan contradicts the global trend.

Most countries have women in high-level government positions, and the number of nations with women as heads of state or in government is at an all-time high, according to the IPU and UN Women.

It is also unclear what will happen to Afghanistan's parliament, which was effectively dissolved in mid-August after the fall of Kabul.

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Women in politics in Afghanistan

Before the Taliban took office, about 27% of the Afghan parliament was made up of women, bringing it in line with the United States, where women make up 26.8% of all members of Congress according to the IPU.

The numbers set an all-time high for the US, which contributed to a growth in the world's share of female legislators this year, according to the IPU and UN Women.

The US government has made significant strides in gender balance this year, seeing a 17% to 46% increase in the number of women in ministerial positions.

Afghanistan's share of women parliamentarians had hovered around 27% since 2005, when the first session of the elected body was held after three decades. Under the 2004 Constitution, at least 68 of the 250 total seats in the lower house of parliament are reserved for women, with two seats reserved for women in each of the country's 34 provinces.

Afghanistan could also now join Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Yemen, where currently no women serve as members of parliament (in lower or sole chambers of parliament) according to the IPU.

However, none of those countries prohibit women from holding public office, as was the case the last time the Taliban were in power in Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001. None of these countries have gender quotas for parliamentary seats.

The participation of women in politics in the world

Rwanda has long had the best record for female representation in parliament, with 56% of the seats in two houses currently held by women.

Cuba, Nicaragua, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates also top the lists, where women hold 50% or more of positions as members of parliament.

But despite an increase in the number of women holding the highest levels of political power, widespread gender inequalities still persist, according to the data.

There are still only 22 countries that have women as heads of state or government.

Europe is home to most of the countries led by women, including Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Germany, Iceland, and Norway.

Meanwhile, Nepal and Bangladesh are the only two countries in Asia with female leaders.

In neighboring China, there has never been a woman on the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, the country's highest power and decision-making body, which is made up of seven people.

There is only one woman on the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, a group that is made up of 25 people.

On Tuesday, UN Women Acting Executive Director Pramila Patten joined a chorus of international voices expressing dismay at the absence of women in the Afghan interim government.

"By excluding women from the government machine, the Taliban leaders have sent the wrong signal about their stated goal of building an inclusive, strong and prosperous society," she said.

"Women's political participation is a fundamental prerequisite for gender equality and genuine democracy," she said, adding that "respect for women's human rights is a litmus test against which any authority must stand. judged and that the establishment of a truly 'inclusive' government with the participation of women is a central element of that. "

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