There is an old adage that goes, “a woman's place is in the home;” Afghan Minister of Women's Affairs, Masooda Jalal, fully agrees.

“Men say that a woman's place is in the home. And I say they are right – their place is in the national home - that is the Wolesi Jirga . In the upcoming Wolesi Jirga and Provincial Council elections, Jalal said, women have been “given an opportunity to play a great role in House of People, like the important role they play at home.”

Of the 249 representatives to the Wolesi Jirga, 25 percent, or one out of every four representatives will be women. This ratio is impressive by any standard, much less in a country where women have not acted as popular representatives in their government for over 30 years.

While critics scoff at the high percentage, claiming that the international community should not impose what they cannot sustain themselves, Jalal feels that the quota is an extremely important step toward putting women's issues in the spotlight.

“This will be the first time we have this number of women in parliament,” Jalal said. “It will have an impact on women's lives in many ways.”

Jalal believes that the future of Afghanistan will be imminently more peaceful and secure in part due to the participation of women in the political arena. “I foresee a country that is well-reputed in the world; that is reconstructed, and is a place where women and men enjoy life equally,” she said. “I see a government that belongs to all people, and a society made of men and women, politically, culturally and socially. I want the future of my people to be healthy and happy.”

Surveys have shown that Afghan men are divided on the issue of female candidates. Some believe that women are not capable of the same atrocities committed by men throughout their country's history and therefore would prove to be more apt leaders; while others fear that female representatives will pursue an unbalanced agenda that will discriminate against men. In a recent article in a local paper, a male candidate for the Wolesi Jirga claimed that women who hold political office will "eat the rights of men."

As Afghanistan 's first female presidential candidate, Jalal understands attitudes like this all too well. She regularly encountered challenges from the population while on the campaign trail, such as c laims that it is un-Islamic for women to run for office. Jalal would calmly compose her response; she had addressed this issue on numerous occasions.

“ Men would question me while I was on the campaign trail,” she recounted. “They asked, ‘Isn't it contrary to Islam for a woman to run for political office?' I told them that Afghanistan is not the only Islamic country to have women in office. Pakistan had Benazir Bhutto – how is it possible for them to have a female leader if it is not Islamic? In Indonesia – the largest Muslim country by population – and also in Turkey there have been women in power. And what about wives of the Prophet? They led wars and ran their own businesses.”

A total of 2,707 candidates will stand for the 249-seat lower house and 3,025 in provincial councils; of these, 328 women will stand for election to the Wolesi Jirga and 247 for the Provincial Council, totaling 582 women out of 5,800 candidates for both races. Conservatives have been angered by the automatic allocation of 25 per cent of seats to women candidates following international pressure for greater representation of women.

Jalal acknowledges the importance of the support of female candidates' husbands and families throughout the campaign process and beyond. “Without support of their husbands or families, they cannot do this,” Jalal said of female candidates.

“My husband often accompanied me to the provinces. I did not have guards so he acted as my security too. Sometimes, if I was at a gathering and I was tired after speaking so much, he would speak for me. He said, ‘She is my wife; she has a lot of experience; she is capable.' This is the best endorsement – because he knows me well. Husbands and fathers should be supportive. They should help by going out to speak to male voters.

”Ours is a male-dominated society; men have the political power at the level of making decisions - whether in parliament or as head of the family. The best way to tackle the issues is to convince men to give freedom to women and daughters. Local Mullahs are very influential. If we can secure the cooperation of the religious community, it will have a positive effect on opportunities for women.”

In addition to family and spousal support, Jalal believes there are a number of obstacles that stand in the path of female candidates and voters, namely security concerns, campaign expenses for candidates, traditional beliefs and lack of awareness of the process due to illiteracy.

“ Afghanistan is in a post-conflict phase. Security is a concern in remote areas – and these concerns may prevent women from going to the polls and potential threats may keep women candidates from coming forward. Of course, traditional and cultural barriers are also factors.”

To address the lack of public awareness regarding perceptions of female candidates and women voters, JEMBS Senior Gender Focal Point Lina Abirafeh and Minister Jalal met to discuss a radio program, currently in production by the JEMBS Gender Unit.

The Gender Unit at JEMBS believes that gender refers to both women and men . Gender addresses women and men in their social roles, meaning that the concept differs for different women and men across the country. There is no single gender message that will apply to all of Afghanistan . Therefore, taking the time to understand the dynamics in different areas will ensure that messages will be better received. Women's participation – as candidates and voters - needs special support, but an emphasis on all Afghans – men and women – is helpful in addressing the rights and responsibilities of all Afghans to the country.

“It is very important to target men,” Jalal agreed. “The programmes should contain very primary messages and should encourage men and influentials to come forward and cooperate. It should be done with the target audience in mind – and should speak their language.”

The JEMBS Gender Unit recently hired a male staff member to assist with the creation of the messages targeted at men and participate in other events which are largely attended by men. By targeting the male audience, the Unit hopes clarify some of the myths that are commonly held by male voters with regards to women's participation and representation.

“I am sure that all of these women are powerful,” Jalal said of the female candidates. “I am certain that, insh'allah, if people provide enough support, women could become a strong power and maybe one day a majority in parliament. In each and every law they will make sure that women's status is promoted and protected, so that women's issues are equally considered and women benefit equally.”