The Impact of the BBC World Service Trust's Programme Afghan ...

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The Impact of the BBC World Service Trust’s

Programme Afghan Woman’s Hour

– Results from a National Survey in Afghanistan

BBC World Service Trust

Research & Learning Group

Authors:

Researchers:

Andy Bhanot, Head of Research – South Asia Emily LeRoux-Rutledge, Research Officer*

Head of Project:

Safia Haleem

* This paper draws heavily on LeRoux-Rutledge, E. (2007). Afghan Women’s Hour: Psychological Empowerment Using

a Mass Media Approach. Master’s dissertation, London School of Economics and Political Science.

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CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................... 3

CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND ............................................................................. 6

CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH OBJECTIVES & METHODOLOGY .............................. 16

CHAPTER 3: LIFE IN AFGHANISTAN ............................................................... 25

CHAPTER 4: MEDIA CONSUMPTION & HABITS ............................................. 32

CHAPTER 5: AWARENESS AND REACH .......................................................... 40

CHAPTER 6: GENDER EQUALITY...................................................................... 48

CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................... 62

CHAPTER 8: RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................. 64

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. Overall awareness of Afghan Woman’s Hour (AWH) in Afghanistan was found to

be high; 50% of all those who had listened to the radio in the previous month were aware of AWH. Awareness was higher in the South Western region at 64% compared with the lowest level of awareness at 23% in the Hazarjat region.

Awareness was higher among women (60%) as compared to men (40%) men indicating popularity of the programme among its primary target audience i.e. women.

2. The survey found that about 45% of active radio listeners1 had ever listened to

AWH, indicating that the programme has been heard by approximately 11 million Afghans. Listenership was highest in the South Western province (61%) followed by Eastern (49%) and South Central (48%) provinces. Hazarjat province reported the lowest listenership at 22%.

3. More than half of all female active radio listeners had ever listened to AWH.

Again, it is apparent that the programme is reaching its primary target audience with 55% of women having ever listened to the programme. Nearly all those who were aware of the programme had heard the programme at some point.

4. Of all those aware of AWH, 76% of men and 83% of women had listened to it in

the last month or more recently. Nearly a fifth of all active radio listeners had listened to the programme in the last 7 days with more than a third having listened in the last month.

5. Just over a fifth of all active radio listeners listen to AWH once a week or more.

Slightly less than a third of female all active radio listeners listen to the programme once a week or more. As expected this figure is lower for men.

6. Of all those who were aware of AWH 90% listened to the programme more than once a month or more. This means that about 9 million Afghans are listening more than once a month with half of them listening every week.

7. This high level of regular listening suggests that Afghan Woman’s Hour is

extremely popular with those who are aware of it. Women tend to listen more regularly than men although a large proportion of men are listening on a regular basis – nearly half of all those who are aware of the programme.

8. As expected, the majority of AWH listeners are female (61%), but it is notable that

in a country with significant separation of the sexes 39% of those who report listening to AWH in the last month are male.

With the exception of gender, the demographic characteristics of AWH listeners mirror those found in the overall sample. The largest portion of the audience is rural women, but AWH is reaching a broad cross section of Afghan society and serves as vehicle for the distribution of information to a variety of different demographic groups within Afghanistan.

1 Active radio listeners aged 15+ defined as those who had listened to radio in the last 4 weeks

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• The average age of listeners is 32 years old. Overall, listeners tend to be relatively young with 58% of respondents reporting to be age 34 or younger.

• Slightly over half of AWH listeners (54%) report having no formal education compared to 58% for the whole sample.

• The majority of AWH listeners live in rural areas (78%) with 22% living in urban environments.

• Half of AWH listeners reported being housewives. Another 36% are working and 8% are students.

• Overall, 46% of listeners described themselves as Pashtuns, 37% Tajiks, 7% Uzbeks, 8% Hazaras, and 2% other ethnicities.

9. Afghan Women’s Hour listeners most frequently listened to the programme either on their own or with family or friends.

AWH listeners are talking about what they hear in the programme, indicating that the programme may be reaching more than the active radio listeners. Over half of listeners (56%) reported they had talked with someone regarding something they heard on AWH. Women were more likely to do so than men (65% compared to 35%). Those who discussed issues with others did so mostly with family members and friends.

10. The vast majority of listeners feel that listening to AWH is beneficial to them.

Specifically: • 96% agree they think more positively about lives of women after listening

to AWH. • 91% agree the show helps them better understand women in different

situations than them. • 91% agree that listening to AWH helps them to solve problems. • 80% agree they often talk about things they hear on AWH. • 79% agree that men enjoy listening to AWH.

11. More than three-fourth listeners of AWH have listened to different segments of the

programme –Testimonials, Music of Our Village, Women & Work, and Women in Parliament. Close to 90% listeners agree on the benefits of the specific segments. The benefits include inspiration they get from listening to individual experiences, influencing their opinions or behaviours in different ways, making them feel proud of Afghan culture and encouraging political, civic and electoral engagement among the listeners.

12. Qualitative research using Focus Group Discussions indicated that women

displayed a significant capacity to aspire, which included specific aspirations in domains relevant to the programme segments they had recently finished listening to (suggesting that AWH has made an impact.) They also had critical awareness of social barriers, could identify causal agents that might help or hinder them, displayed the ability to brainstorm (an important component of problem-solving) and had the capacity to express voice within the all-female group. Furthermore, they displayed the intention to inform other women of relevant issues, and, in some cases, the intention to discuss these issues.

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13. Less encouraging, however, was that for the most part their aspirations were not particularly focused or specific, and they had a low perceived ability to influence and low perceived competence outside of the female domain of child-rearing, (which is already considered to be an area of female expertise.) This meant that they did not display knowledge of the ways in which to influence causal agents. For example, a woman might demonstrate knowledge that men were causal agents, but not be able to indicate how she would go about attempting to influence them. There was little evidence for leadership, and little indication that participants would take any direct action to influence outcomes other than discussing the issues raised with other women. The lack of perceived ability to influence and perceived competence proved critical to all the other components, as even in the areas where the women excelled, such as in their capacity to brainstorm, they displayed passivity; the suggestions they generated indicated not what actions they could take, but what could be done for them.

14. Encouragingly, there is evidence that AWH has the potential to enhance

women’s capacity to aspire, by giving them ideas about specific goals. It is also has the potential to enhance women’s perceived ability to influence, and perceived efficacy.

15. The litmus test for empowerment is whether poor and subordinate groups have

effectively advanced their particular interests through their own choice and action. In order for AWH to help women translate their aspirations into action, it must attempt to facilitate agency through psychological empowerment. In order for empowerment to occur, however, aspects of the opportunity structure (such as male opinion) must also be addressed. As there is a large male audience for Afghan Women’s Hour, a significant opportunity exists for the programme to tackle this aspect of the empowerment framework as well.

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CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND

1.1 Status of Women in Afghanistan Violence against women and girls, and other violations of their rights in Afghanistan have been widely reported by media and NGOs, in the last three decades. In 2000, the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, in her report to the Commission on Human Rights, wrote “Most countries of the world appear to tolerate some

practices that discriminate against women, but only in some countries is

discrimination official policy. In Taleban controlled areas of Afghanistan,

discrimination against women is officially sanctioned and pervades every aspect of

the lives of women.”2

A recent report by Amnesty International notes that although Taleban is no longer in power, a cultural legacy remains3. Violence against women and girls in Afghanistan is pervasive; few women are exempt from the reality or threat of violence. Afghan women and girls live with the risk of:

• abduction and rape by armed individuals; • forced marriage; • being traded for settling disputes and debts; and • daily discrimination from all segments of society as well as by state officials.

Nader Nadery, a commissioner with the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said that the cycle of violence for many women continues and “comes out of negative practices from Afghanistan’s long history that have created

a culture of violence against women.”4 Strict societal codes, invoked in the name of tradition and religion, have been used as justification for denying women the ability to enjoy their fundamental rights, and have led to the imprisonment of some women, and even to killings. Should they protest by running away, the authorities may imprison them. Women have not witnessed a significant improvement in their abilities to enjoy their human rights. Discriminatory practices institutionalized prior to and during the war have not disappeared and in some ways have grown stronger. The insecure environment exacerbates this further. In the Afghanistan context, violence suffered during the conflict years was an extreme manifestation of the discrimination and abuses they suffered in before the conflict began as well as the unequal power relations between Afghan men and women. Such attitudes contribute to the widespread acceptance of domestic violence, rape and other forms of sexual abuse against women. Women’s right to choose a marriage partner is still severely curtailed and subject to the authority of male members of the family; they continue to be abducted and forced into marriage; early marriage and childbirth is commonplace; and prohibited interaction between unrelated men and women greatly inhibits women’s access to, amongst others, higher education, the

2 Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, “Mission to Pakistan and Afghanistan (1-13 September 1999)”, UN Doc. E/CN.4/2000/68/Add.4, 13 March 2000 3 Afghanistan Women still under attack – a Systematic Failure to Protect, Amnesty International, May 2005 4 IRIN press, Rally to stop violence against women, Kabul, 24, November 2004.

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workplace and both formal and informal justice mechanisms as these bodies continue to be almost exclusively male and largely segregated. Husbands, brothers and fathers are the main perpetrators of violence in the home but the social control and the power that they exercise is reinforced by the authorities, whether of the state or from informal justice systems such as shuras and jirgas. Members of factional and militia forces are also responsible for perpetrating violence. In some instances, female members of the family have a role in upholding patriarchal structures, and may also commit violence. However, male members of society perpetrate the overwhelming majority of acts of violence against women. The new government has sought to remedy these abuses through the creation of a Ministry of Woman Affairs and an Independent Human Rights Commission. However, attention to women’s issues is often overshadowed by other pressing concerns, such as security and the narcotics trade. Simply establishing institutions dedicated to gender sensitivity and tolerance does not ensure gender equality. As the Afghan government recognizes, attention to women’s issues across all government bodies and aid delivery organizations must be established. Accordingly, the government has prepared a National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan, which will provide a comprehensive, cross-ministerial approach to improving the condition of women. M. Ashraf Haidari, the Political Counselor at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, DC, observes that the persecution of women fighting for Afghanistan’s progress is partly driven by the country’s male-dominant, conservative culture5. Achieving gender equality will therefore require a fundamental change in Afghan societal norms and perceptions, over many generations. This is the backdrop in which BBC WST has been working on women’s empowerment through its radio programme Afghan Woman’s Hour (AWH) that aims “to empower Afghan women to know their rights and to encourage them to participate in civil society”

1.2 BBC WST and Afghan Woman’s Hour

BBC World Service Trust, the international charity of BBC, uses media and communications to reduce poverty and promote human rights, thereby enabling people to build better lives.

In the project Afghan Woman’s Hour the Trust seeks to empower women by broadcasting programming on gender issues, with the aim of helping Afghan women explore new ideas, find solutions to their problems and encourage them to participate more fully in the rebuilding of their country. It celebrates the role of women in Afghan society not only as mothers, daughters, wives and sisters but as future policy makers and role models for the next generation.

Afghan Woman’s Hour went on air in January 2005. Since then a group of 20 female journalists from all over Afghanistan gather original stories, conduct engaging

5 Help Empower the Women of Afghanistan, M. Ashraf Haidari, November 2007, http://www.afghan-web.com/woman/empowerafghanwomen.html

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interviews and record folkloric songs. The programme is broadcast in the two main languages of the region, Dari and Pashto, with 100 programmes per year. Afghan Woman’s Hour is broadcast weekly, with two repeats at different times of day. The programme is made by Afghan women journalists and is currently broadcast on BBC World Service Radio. The following map shows the presence of AWH reporters in Afghanistan.

Figure 1: Presence of AWH Reporters

1.2.1. Aim of Afghan Woman’s Hour

To empower Afghan women to know their rights and to encourage them to participate in civil society by:

• Raising awareness • Stimulating debate and discussion amongst women and men and

women • Offering alternative solutions to problems/situations • Celebrating the role of women in Afghan life

Afghan Woman’s Hour aims to reach all classes of women – rural and urban, educated and uneducated. It cuts across social and ethnic boundaries, uniting women and bringing much needed information to those denied access by their husbands, fathers or brothers to the outside world. It’s anticipated that by offering Afghan women a radio programme they enjoy as well as one that offers them potential solutions to the challenges they face, female listeners will gain confidence in their own ability to achieve and participate in wider society.

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1.2.2. Programme content and format

Afghan Woman’s Hour is a magazine format programme comprising different segments. The programme’s debates, features and phone-ins cover everything from women’s health, domestic violence, family planning, the taboo of physical handicap, political participation, forced marriage, education and working life, to family issues, cooking, music and literature. The programme aims to be a friendly and trusted voice. It offers information, advice and comfort to its listeners.

Afghan Woman’s Hour offers a forum to discuss gender, social issues and women’s rights. The programme celebrates the value of women, informs them and offers advice from professionals, such as doctors, psychologists, social commentators, female politicians, as well as encouragement through the voice and example of ordinary Afghan women. There is a particular emphasis on practical, ‘home grown solutions’ to problems within the programme. This is because of a shortage of professionals in Afghanistan, e.g. doctors, social workers, psychotherapists. It is also because many women cannot afford or access a doctor. Afghan Woman’s Hour also includes the voices of girls, uses successful, internationally famous women achievers as role models and includes items on Afghan culture which validate women. 1.2.3. Programme segments

There have been some changes to the programme segments over the last two years. The current research was designed to measure the impact of the segments broadcast at the time of doing the research: A. Women and Work

This segment showcases women from across Afghanistan undertaking a range of different jobs, being entrepreneurial, setting up businesses or earning extra income for their family with the aim of:

• helping women to see the opportunities available to them • providing women with information to take-up these opportunities • building their confidence by providing examples of women in similar

situations • challenging the view that women should remain in the private sphere and

not work. B. Women in Parliament

This series of segments on women participating in Parliament aims to: • increase understanding of and trust in the political system • emphasise the importance of the role of women in Parliament and society

more broadly • emphasise the importance of voting • encourage women to feel that they have a voice • find routes into politics for women and their experiences on this journey.

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C. Testimonials

This is a regular story slot at the end of the programme featuring real life stories of women and adaptations of novels with relevance to women. The segment aims to:

• recognise the problems faced by women • provide comfort to listeners by providing real life experiences that they

can relate to • challenge the way they think about their situation • offer inspiration to change their situation • provide potential solutions.

D. Music of our Village

A regular slot presenting women from across Afghanistan performing songs or music from their villages. The segment aims to:

• celebrate Afghan culture and life • promote a shared sense of pride in contemporary Afghan society • foster a sense of belonging • encourage people to play music or sing.

1.2.4. Developing a Framework of Women’s Empowerment

The project team conducted extensive review of literature and research reports to identify and adapt from among various theoretical models, a framework for developing the communication strategy for the programme. We considered two most recent and prominent theoretical frameworks for empowerment proposed by Deepa Narayan and Naila Kabeer respectively. Narayan defines empowerment as: The expansion of assets and capabilities of poor people to participate in,

negotiate with, influence, control, and hold accountable institutions that affect

their lives. (2005, p.5)

Narayan’s theoretical structure divides the components of empowerments into opportunity structure and agency6 (see Figure 2). Opportunity structure refers to “the broader institutional, social and political context of formal and informal rules and norms within which actors pursue their interests” and is broken down into institutional climate, which can create incentives for action or inaction, and social and political structures which can be open or closed, inclusive or exclusive and cooperative or conflictual. Agency refers to “the capacity of actors to take purposeful action, a function of both individual and collective assets and capabilities and is broken down along individual and collective lines.

Kabeer defines empowerment as “the process by which those who have been

denied the ability to make strategic life choices acquire such ability”7. Kabeer’s definition is notable because it highlights the concept of choice. In her

6 Narayan, 2005; Petesch, Smulovitz & Walton, 2005 7 Kabeer, 1999, p.435

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framework, empowerment concerns the ability to make choices, while to be disempowered is to be denied choice.

Figure 2: Components of Empowerment

Both these models of empowerment, while comprehensive and potentially very useful for development, was considered too broad given the goals of Afghan Women’s Hour. Although a radio programme could target other aspects of the framework, such as the opportunity structure, by advocating for greater access to information or political openness, for it to tackle all aspects of the empowerment structure would be exigent. Psychological empowerment does form a part of the greater empowerment framework, however. In the models, individual assets and capabilities are broken down into material, human, social and psychological categories, with psychological empowerment being conceived of as self-esteem, self-confidence, and the ability to imagine and aspire to a better future. Thus, both the models help define and situate psychological empowerment in a wider framework of empowerment as conceived by development practitioners. We further considered Garba’s exogenous and endogenous empowerment strategies8 to understand the process of empowerment. Exogenous strategies are built on the premise that disempowered groups can be empowered by external individuals, while endogenous empowerment strategies presume that external individuals can merely facilitate empowerment by creating enabling conditions for groups to empower themselves. This distinction is akin to Freire’s notion of extension versus communication, or conscietization. Conscietization, like endogenous empowerment, is a process through which individuals develop a ‘critical consciousness’ through interpretation of problems, openness to revision, refusing to transfer responsibility, rejecting passive positions, arguing, and engaging in dialogue. It results in an understanding of the circumstances

8 Garba, 1999

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and social environment, leading to action9. Similarly, Garba maintains that endogenous empowerment has six stages leading to action:

1. Awareness building 2. Capacity and skills assessment 3. Capacity building and skills development, 4. Participation and greater control in decision making 5. Action for change 6. Evaluation

Empowerment itself is realized in stages four and five, and stages one, two, three and six are points where external interventions can enable an endogenous empowerment process. We believe that a media approach, and Afghan Women’s Hour specifically, is likely to result in ‘an empowering situation’ where one or more of the necessary conditions for empowerment are in place or being developed, but not in ‘a situation of empowerment’, where all conditions are met10. We further examined the critical role played by collectives in the process of empowerment. The importance of forming collectives and taking collective action is a theme touched on by many empowerment theorists11. Evidence shows that women who operate through collectives gain confidence and the ability to challenge power structures, leading to empowerment on both an individual and group level. Enhancing individual capabilities and opportunities may easily fail because of the influence of shared values, norms, beliefs, and traditions, but collective action involves changing ideas about the social order, and is therefore more powerful12. Thus, while women’s assets and capabilities are usually conceptualized as individual attributes, collective capabilities and organizations are often more important in helping to break through the constraints of powerlessness and voicelessness. Deshmukh-Ranadive, who conceives of empowerment as a series of physical, economic, sociocultural, political and mental spaces, says that mental space, “the feeling of freedom that allows a person to think and act”, is the most important condition for empowerment to take place. She goes on to elaborate that mental space can be increased in two ways: by bringing women together in new settings (collectives), and by giving them information, particularly about power structures and rights. Other theorists likewise proclaim the pivotal role of psychological empowerment13. Finally, we turned to Zimmerman’s psychological model for a more thorough understanding of women’s empowerment. For Zimmerman, psychological empowerment includes beliefs that goals can be achieved, awareness about resources and factors that hinder or enhance efforts to achieve one’s goal, and concrete efforts to fulfill those goals14. Zimmerman’s model factors in active

9 Freire, 1990; Campbell, 2006; Rowlands, 1995 10 Rowlands, 1995 11 Narayan, 2005; Rowlands, 1995; Perkins & Zimmerman, 1995; Mason, 2005; Deshmukh-Ranadive, 2005 12 Mason, 2005, p.98 13 Narayan, 2005, Rowlands, 1995; Diener & Biswas-Diener, 2005 14 Zimmerman, 1995

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engagement in one’s community and understanding of one’s socio-political environment (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Components of Psychological Empowerment

We added to Zimmerman’s framework the collective aspects of psychological empowerment through the concepts of voice and capacity to aspire15. Appadurai conceives of capacity to aspire as something embedded in social groups and determined by collective cultural experience. Specifically, he defines it as the capacity of groups to envision alternatives and aspire to different futures16. Appadurai contests the notion that aspirations belong to individuals, pointing out that aspirations are always formed “in the thick of social life” and take the form of communal ideas about “the good life”, health and happiness. He also points out that marginalized groups have a lower capacity to aspire because “poverty means a smaller number of aspirational nodes and a thinner, weaker sense of the pathways from concrete wants to intermediate contexts to general norms and back again”. Voice is about having the ability to express one’s views, and includes the capacity to debate, contest, inquire, oppose and participate critically17. Capacity to aspire and voice are mutually reinforcing, and could be an important addition to Zimmerman’s framework. Self-esteem could also be an important addition to Zimmerman’s framework. Zimmerman does not include it; however other theorists in development do include it in their definitions of psychological empowerment18. Participants in a Columbian study who were asked to do a self-evaluation highlighted the

15 Appadurai, 2004

16 Appadurai, 2004; Petesch, Smulovitz & Walton, 2005

17 Appadurai, 2004; Petesch, Smulovitz & Walton, 2005; Garba, 1999

18 Malhotra & Schuler, 2005; Narayan, 2005; Deshmukh-Ranadive, 2005; Rowlands, 1995

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importance of self-esteem in measuring their own empowerment19. Self-esteem refers to one’s personal judgment of one’s own worth20.

We thus proposed a model of psychological empowerment, combining all the elements discussed above which focuses largely on three main dimensions of empowerment:

o The intrapersonal dimension considers how people think and feel about themselves.

o The interactional dimension considers the understanding people have about their community and related socio-political context.

o The behavioural dimension looks at actions people take to directly influence outcomes.

Figure 4: Model of Psychological Empowerment

19 Moser, 2005

20 Coppersmith, 1967, quoted in Zimmerman, 1995

Psychological Empowerment

Intrapersonal Interactional

Behavioural

Capacity to

Aspire

Perceived Ability to

Influence

Efficacy/Perceived

competence Collective self-

esteem

Critical

Awareness

Understanding causal

agents

Decision-making

skills

Problem-solving

skills

Capacity to express

voice

Resource

Mobilization

Community

Involvement Organizational

Participation

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The knowledge, attitude and behavioural indicators of empowerment based on the model above were developed to measure the impact of the programme on our audiences. These indicators are described in Table1 below: Table 1: Indicators of Empowerment – Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours

Intrapersonal Interactional Behavioural

Capacity to aspire:

Does the person or group

display the ability to

imagine and aspire to a

different and better

future?

Capacity to express voice:


display the capacity

speak out and express

opinions?

Community involvement:

Does the person or

group display the

intention to engage in

participatory behaviours

that involve them with

other members of their

community?

Perceived ability to influence:


display a belief in their

ability to exert influence

in different spheres of life,

such as family, work or

socio-political contexts?

Decision-making (Skill development):

Does the Person or group

display the ability to make

informed decisions?

Problem-solving (Skill development):


display the ability to

engage in problem

solving?

Organizational Participation:

Does the person or

group display the

intention to become

involved with formal or

informal organizations?

(Collective) Self-Esteem:

What is the person or

group’s personal

judgment of their worth,

or the value of women in

general?

Resource mobilization:


display understanding of

the resources needed to

achieve a desired goal,

knowledge of how to

acquire those resources

and/or skills for managing

the resources once they

are obtained?

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CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH OBJECTIVES & METHODOLOGY

2.1 Research Objectives

The aim of this survey is to measure the awareness and reach of Afghan Woman’s Hour as well as measuring changes in knowledge, attitudes and self-reported behaviours (practices) regarding key programme issues including:

• Gender Equality • Education • Women and work • Governance-related issues • Family life (forced marriage, domestic violence)

In addition, the survey looked at the following issues to provide context to the above issues and guide the project:

• Media habits and consumption • Life in Afghanistan • Awareness of HIV/AIDS (to inform future programming)

This report also analyzes the findings of qualitative audience research commissioned by the BBC World Service Trust in Nov 2006 – March 2007 to inform future programming and explore the potential impact of programming on AWH audiences. The specific questions addressed in the qualitative research were:

• How is empowerment defined in the development literature and where does psychological empowerment fit in?

• How can psychological empowerment be measured in a development context?

• What evidence of psychological empowerment is there among the listeners of Afghan Women’s Hour?

2.2 Methodology

2.2.1. Quantitative Research

The research and learning team at BBC WST designed a quantitative survey covering a national sample of 3,213 Afghan adults age 15 and older from all 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Fieldwork for the survey was conducted by D3 Systems and ACSOR-Surveys from October 8 to October 24, 2007. A semi-structured pre-coded multiple response questionnaire was used for collecting data from selected respondents.

2.2.2. Qualitative Research

The data set comprised 76 in-depth interviews and eight focus groups. The research and learning team selected qualitative methodology in order to generate in-depth data, and BBC WST researchers developed the discussion

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guide with guidance from the country director, head of project and research agency (which included Afghans.)

Focus group have been called the ‘minimal social unit’ (Gaskell, 2000) and are therefore the ideal research unit to examine how groups of women make sense of the programming content of AWH, and do or do not exhibit signs of collective psychological empowerment. This data was supplemented with two semi-structured expert interviews conducted with the programme’s presenter/ producer and the programme’s editor.

2.2.3. Questionnaire Design

The questionnaire included the following sections: • General media habits – standard questions used across all BBC WST surveys

tailored to the Afghan media landscape • Afghan Woman’s Hour - Reach, Awareness and Listenership • Listeners’ Views on Afghan Woman’s Hour • Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices on:

o Life in Afghanistan o Governance o Gender Equality o Education and Livelihoods o Health

• Demographics Developing knowledge, attitudes and practices questions to measure impact:

In order to understand the potential impact of Afghan Woman’s Hour in relation to the aim of empowerment it was necessary to identify the specific attitudes, knowledge and behaviour anticipated as a result of listening to this programme. 2.2.4. Defining Awareness and Reach

The survey measured awareness, reach and level of exposure to the programme.

• Output Awareness is defined as the ‘percentage of the audience who are

aware of a specific output’ (this included spontaneous and prompted

awareness); • Output Reach is defined as the ‘percentage of the audience who have

seen or listened to a specific output’(this included spontaneous and

prompted listenership of the output);

2.2.5. Defining Amount of Exposure

The amount of exposure to the programme can vary to a great extent across audience members – from a one-off consumer who catches a single episode to a frequent consumer of the show. However, if the amount of exposure is taken as a single dichotomous measure, exposed versus unexposed, any variation in this exposed audience is ignored. Moreover, any ‘effect’ on the exposed audience would be presumed to be the same regardless of amount of exposure.

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Recognising that more opportunities to be exposed to output containing either directly or indirectly informative content could result in greater opportunities for an ‘effect’, the Research & Learning Group introduced measures to assess amount of programme exposure. These amounts were classified as: High, Medium/Low and No exposure.

2.2.6. Amount of Programme Exposure

Amount of campaign exposure calculations were based on the amount of exposure to the output. Thus:

• Highly Exposed to the programme = Must listen weekly or more. • Medium Exposed = Must listen monthly but not weekly • Low Exposed = Must listen less often than monthly • No exposure to the programme = Must never have listened.

2.2.7. Analysis of Impact

Comparisons of these different amounts of exposure to the programme (High, Medium, Low and No Exposure) were used to examine the relationships between exposure and knowledge, attitudes and behaviour change. Statistical associations between the three levels of exposure and behavioural outcomes were considered evidence of impact21. Where statistically significant differences are found they are reported beneath each exposure group comparison chart.

2.3 The sample As mentioned 3,213 Afghan adults aged 15 years and older from all 34 provinces of Afghanistan were interviewed. A systematic sampling method with a multi-stage random stratified selection procedure was used with interviews distributed proportionally by population of province. Interviews were conducted in both urban and rural locations. The sample is divided at the outset with half the sampling points designated for male interviews, half for female interviews. Male respondents were interviewed only by male interviewers, female respondents only by female interviewers due to the cultural restrictions in Afghanistan. ACSOR maintains a field team with both male and female interviewers to be able to meet this particular challenge. Households were selected using a random route technique with interviewers starting from assigned locations then visiting homes at a set interval. Respondents were selected using a Kish grid to further randomize the survey process. Interviews are clustered into groups of 10 interviews per sampling point. In order to reduce the design effect due to clustering, where randomly drawn male/female sampling points fell within close proximity to each other in districts with small population sizes, the number of sampling points was doubled, also by random selection, and the number of interviews per point was halved, from 10 to five.

21 Exposure data were tested for significant changes using z-tests of column proportions with the Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparisons. However, it is recognised that these associations are not evidence of a causal relationship between exposure and outcome measures.

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In total, 3,669 households were visited. Non-contacts represent 253 persons (6.9% of total contacts), refusals 203 persons (5.5%), yielding the total realized sample of 3213 (87.6% of all contacts).

2.4 The Respondents The sample was designed to reflect as accurately as possible the demographic composition of Afghanistan.

2.4.1. Gender

The sample was divided from the outset to provide 50% male respondents and 50% female respondents. The table below presents the demographic breakdown of the sample:

Table 2: Sample Demographics22

Demographics % Total sample (n=3213)

Age 15 – 17 18 – 24 24 – 34 35 – 44 45 – 54 55+

6 27 26 22 13 6

Region Northern Central/Kabul South Central Western Eastern South Western Central/Hazarjat

29 19 14 11 10 9 8

Location Village Town City Metros (Kabul)

78 4 7 11

Ethnicity Pashtuns Tajiks Uzbeks Hazaras Other

42 36 8 8 6

Religion Sunni Muslim Shia Muslim Other

80 10 10

Language Dari Pashtun Uzbek Other

46 42 10 2

22 Where demographic measures used in the BBS WST survey and the Asia Foundation Survey (2007) were comparable the

demographic composition of each sample were consistent.

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Education level No formal Up to 5 years 6 – 8 years 9 – 10 years 11 – 12 years Higher

58 7 9 8 14 4

Employment status Working Unemployed Housewife Student Retired Other

39 8 40 7 1 5

Marital status Married Single Widowed

60 28 4

Media consumption Active radio Active TV

78 22

Social class A/B C+ C, C- D E

2 11 31 34 23

2.4.2. Age

The age distribution in the sample reflects the relatively young nature of the population with 59% of the respondents reporting to be age 34 or younger. Relatively few respondents report being age 55 or older (6%). While there has not been a formal census in Afghanistan in several decades, estimates from the United Nations and the Afghan Central Statistics Office suggest average life expectancy is low and that Afghanistan has a young population overall.

Chart 1: Age of Respondents

6%

27% 26%

22%

13%

6%

15-17 yrs 18-24 yrs 24-34 yrs 35-44 yrs 45-54 yrs 55+ yrs

Base: Total sample (3213)

The age spread compares very well with the results of the survey conducted by The Asia Foundation in 2008, as shown in the table below:

21

Table 3: Comparison with Asia Foundation Survey

Age Group BBC WST Survey (n=3213)

The Asia Foundation Survey 2008 (n=6593)

15-17 yrs 6% -

18-24 yrs 27% 26%

24-34 yrs 26% 28%

35-44 yrs 22% 22%

45-54 yrs 13% 15%

55+ yrs 6% 8%

2.4.3. Education Level

According to the survey results, 58% of the respondents report having no formal education. Several decades of conflict have curtailed educational opportunities for Afghans. Reading proficiency and education levels are higher among those under 22 and over 35, reflecting the difficulties of pursuing an education for those who came to age at the height of the conflict.

Chart 2: Education of Respondents

58%

7% 9% 8%14%

4%

No formal Upto 5 yrs 6-8 yrs 9-10 yrs 11-12 yrs Higher


Again, comparison with the findings of The Asia Foundation survey reveal similar trends, as shown in the table below:

Table 4: Comparison with Asia Foundation Survey

Age Group BBC WST Survey (n=3213)

The Asia Foundation Survey 2008 (n=6593)

No Formal Education 58% 55%

Upto 5 years 7% 13%

6-8 years 9% 12%

9-10 years 8% 5%

11-12 years 14% 12%

Higher 4% 2%

22

2.4.4. Urban and Rural Populations

The majority of Afghans live in rural areas. The respondents in the survey reflect this reality, with 78% of the respondents coming from rural environments and 22% from urban environments (towns, city, metros [Kabul]). The corresponding proportion of the respondents in the Asia Foundation survey (2008) was 79% rural and 21% urban.

2.4.5. Employment Status

Afghanistan has high levels of unemployment – overall only 39% of respondents reporting being employed. However, this number is skewed by the fact that the majority of women in the sample reported being either housewives or students (87%) (see Chart 3). While 55% of men in the survey report working full-time and 14% report working part-time, only 5% of women say they work full-time and 5% report working part-time. On an encouraging note, males and females who say they are students in the sample were almost equal, with 8% of men reporting to be students and 7% of women reporting the same. Among working men the most mentioned professions were Farmers, Farm labourers & Labourers. Among women the most mentioned professions were Govt. servant (mid level), Labourers, artisans and Clerical workers.

Chart 3: Employment Status of Respondents by Gender

69%

14%

0%8%

1%

10%3%

80%

7%0%

Working Unemployed Housewife Student Retired

Male Female


23

Chart 4: Main Occupation by Gender

Respondents Main Occupation by Gender

32

12 13 1210

2 3

6

02

4 4

12

5

15

4

16

13

5

33

02

31

0

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

%Male

Female

Base: 1250 – all working or retired

2.4.6. Ethnicity

The sample was proportional to population by province and region. There is no census data on ethnic distributions, but the reported ethnicities in this survey are similar to those reported in similarly conducted surveys of Afghanistan. Overall, 42% of respondents reported to be Pashtuns, 36% Tajiks, 8% Uzbeks, 8% Hazaras, and 6% other ethnicities.

Chart 5: Major Ethnic Groups

Uzbeks, 8%

Hazaras, 8%

Other, 6%

Pashtuns, 42%

Tajiks, 36%


2.4.7. Marital status

60% of respondents were married; 28% stated they were single and 4% were widowed.

24

2.4.8. Religious Affiliation

80% of respondents were Sunni Muslims with a further 10% stating they are Shia Muslims. The remaining 10% were other religions including Ismaeli and Hindu.

2.4.9. Language

46% of respondents cited their mother tongue to be Dari, 42% Pashto and 10% Uzbek.

Chart 6: Major Languages Spoken

Uzbek, 10%

Other, 2%

Dari, 46%

Pashto, 42%


25

CHAPTER 3: LIFE IN AFGHANISTAN

This section presents the views of respondents on their life in Afghanistan and draws upon the results from the Asia Foundation Survey (2008) conducted in the first part of the year. Respondents were asked a series of questions including:

• Quality of life • Problems facing Afghanistan • Attitudes towards government • Security situation • Access of household to provisions/services

3.1 Life in general More than half of respondents stated that life was either hard (35%) or very hard (22%) with 40% reporting that it was good/quite good.

Chart 7: Overall Rating of Life in General

22%

35%

30%

10%

Very Hard Hard Good Quite Good

Base= All respondents (n=3213)

3.2 What are the biggest problems facing Afghanistan currently? Respondents were asked what they thought were the first, second and third biggest problems facing Afghanistan currently. The first most frequently mentioned problem was insecurity (19%) followed by poor economy (13%) and unemployment (10%). Interestingly, the Taliban (9%) was the next most frequently mentioned biggest problem – scoring slightly higher than poverty (8%). When combining the results for the first, second and third problems mentioned, unemployment is the most frequently mentioned response (39%) followed by security issues (32%), poor economy (27%), high prices (27%) and poverty (21%). Overall, insecurity (attacks/ violence/ terrorism), presence of Taliban and presence of Warlords emerge as the key problems related to security. Economic hardship comprising unemployment, poor economy, high prices & poverty is the other biggest problem facing Afghanistan. Governance issues (Corruption, power,

26

roads, education, health, shelter, drinking water) were cited by fewer respondents as the major problem. Results from the Asia Foundation survey were very similar with respondents reporting the biggest problems facing Afghanistan to be security, unemployment, poor economy and corruption in that order. In 2006, the major problems were reported to be poor economy, uncertain security situation, slow pace of reconstruction – development and unemployment.

Table 5: Biggest Problems facing Afghanistan Currently

Problems Facing Afghanistan Most Important

2nd most important

3rd most important

All mentions

Insecurity/attacks/violence/terrorism 19% 6% 7% 32%

Poor Economy 13% 9% 5% 27%

Unemployment 10% 14% 15% 39%

Presence of Taliban 9% 6% 3% 18%

Poverty 8% 8% 5% 21%

Presence of warlords 6% 3% 2% 11%

Scarcity of electricity 6% 7% 4% 17%

High Prices 5% 9% 13% 27%

Roads 3% 6% 6% 15%

Corruption 3% 6% 8% 17%

Shelter problems 3% 4% 2% 9%

Education/schools/literacy 2% 3% 3% 8%

Lack of safe water supplies 2% 2% 1% 5%

Health care/clinics/hospitals 1% 2% 3% 6%

Base: All respondents (n=3213)

There emerged some differences among various regions on the mention of major problems - Security appears to be a major problem in South Central, South Western & Western parts while Presence of Taliban/Warlords was mentioned by Western, Northern & Central/ Hazarjat regions. Relatively higher proportion of respondents from Central/Kabul mentioned Unemployment

Table 6: Biggest Problems facing Afghanistan by Regions

Central/Kabul

Eastern South Central

South Western

Western Northern Central/ Hazarjat

Total

Security/attacks/ violence

14% 16% 26% 43% 23% 8% 14% 18%

Poor Economy

14% 12% 13% 6% 12% 17% 13% 13%

Unemployment

20% 9% 6% 4% 7% 10% 8% 10%

Presence of Taliban

5% 5% 8% 10% 15% 10% 17% 9%

Poverty 6% 10% 6% 9% 8% 9% 8% 8%

Presence of warlords

4% 4% 6% 4% 6% 8% 10% 6%

27

Scarcity of electricity

8% 9% 2% 4% 4% 6% 4% 6%

High Prices 9% 3% 4% 2% 4% 6% 3% 5%


3.3 Security Situation Nearly half of respondents stated that the security situation in Afghanistan is either excellent (10%) or good (38%). A third thought the situation is fair with just under a fifth (19%) stating that it is poor. More men than women felt that the security situation is excellent. The Asia Foundation survey found that 66% of respondents reported that security in their area was good or quite good.

Chart 8: Assessment of Security Situation


Analyzing by different regions, more respondents from South Western, South Central & Western areas perceived the security situation to be poor in their areas.

Chart 9: Assessment of Security Situation by Regions


10%

12%

7%

38%

38%

37%

33%

29%

38%

19%

21%

17%

1%

1%

Total

Male

Female

Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know/not sure

14%

13%

6%

25%

50%

47%

42%

26%

32%

25%

20%

28%

33%

46%

22%

43%

32%

27%

7%

7%

5%

27%

25%

39%

48%

2%

4%

3%

1%

1%

1%

Central/Kabul

Northern

Eastern

Central/Hazarjat

Western

South Central

South Western

Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know/not sure

28

Respondents were asked whether they thought the security situation had changed in the last six months. More respondents thought that the situation had improved, rather than declined, with the majority of respondents (57%) stating that it had remained the same. Interestingly, the proportion of respondents who thought the security situation is poor and that it had got worse in the last six months were the same. Further analysis of these respondents is required – particularly in terms of regional variations. Overall, it would seem that for a substantial proportion of Afghan’s security is still a major issue. Analyzing by regions, it is evident that the security situation in South Western, South Central, Western & Central Hazarjat areas is poorer compared to the rest of the country, and the respondents from these areas perceive the situation to have worsened in their areas in the last 6 months.

Chart 10: Changes in the Security Situation by Regions


Results from the Asia Foundation survey (2008) also report similar findings with the security situation in the Southern & Western areas being perceived as poorer by the residents, compared to other parts in Afghanistan. Respondents were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the following statement:

The current security situation makes it difficult for me to listen and watch the

programmes I want to.

Forty-two per cent of respondents agreed that the security situation makes it difficult for them to listen and watch programmes. Again, more respondents from South Western, Western & South Central provinces feel that the current security situation makes it difficult for them to watch/ listen to programmes of their choice.

19%

36%

35%

11%

7%

57%

47%

50%

43%

65%

49%

69%

58%

23%

11%

11%

25%

10%

36%

19%

34%

25%

13%

6%

1%

2%

4%

4%

1%

2%

2%

Total

South Central

South Western

Central/Hazarjat

Western

Eastern

Central/Kabul

Northern

Got worse Remained the same Got better Don't know/not sure

29

Chart 11: Impact of Security Situation on Ease of Listening

The current security situation makes it difficult for me to listen and watch the programmes I want to……..

42%

79%

63%

51% 50%

30% 28%23%

57%

21%

37%

49% 49%

68%72%

77%

2%

Total South Western Western South Central Eastern Central/Kabul Northern Central/Hazarjat

Agree Disagree Don't Know/ Not Sure


3.4 Perceptions towards Government This survey attempted to document the public perceptions towards the government by asking respondents to what extent they agree/disagree with the following questions:

• Government doesn’t care much about what ordinary people like me think • I have a say in the way my local area is run • I have a say in the way Afghanistan is run • I feel helpless in face of what is happening in Afghanistan today

Chart 12: Perceptions towards Government (All respondents)

17%

27%

20%

20%

36%

35%

41%

43%

29%

21%

24%

24%

12%

10%

10%

8%

Govt doesn't care much

about what ordinary

people think

I feel helpless in face of

what is happening in

Afghanistan

I have a say in the way

Afghanistan is run

I have a say in the way

local area is run

Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Base: All respondents (N=3213)

30

Interestingly, although most people feel agree they have a say in the way their local area and Afghanistan is run, the majority of people also feel that the government doesn’t care what they think and they feel helpless in face of what is happening to Afghanistan today.

3.5 Access of household to provisions/services

Respondents were asked whether their household usually has enough to eat, can cover all its needs and whether they have access to a health clinic or hospital. Only 69% of respondents agreed that their household has enough to eat and only 22% said they could cover all their household’s needs. Analyzing by demographic variables, we did not find major differences in the responses across males and females, but those from urban areas, those with higher education, younger respondents and Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras appeared to be more satisfied compared to other groups.

Table 7: Thinking about your household do you usually have…? (% Yes)

…enough to eat

… enough money to cover all needs

All 69% 22%

Male 68% 22% Gender

Female 70% 22%

Rural 67% 21% Area of Residence Urban 77% 26%

15-17 yrs 76% 26%

18-24 yrs 71% 24%

25-34 yrs 71% 24%

35-44 yrs 65% 20%

45-54 yrs 67% 18%

Age

55+ yrs 61% 15%

Pashtun 63% 22%

Tajik 73% 22%

Uzbek 75% 25%

Hazara 82% 23%

Ethnicity

Other 59% 19%

No formal schooling 64% 17%

Up to 5 yrs 69% 22%

6-8 yrs 72% 28%

9-10 yrs 75% 27%

11-12 yrs 82% 34%

Education

Some college & higher 79% 33%

Working 69% 21%

Housewife 69% 21%

Student 81% 36%

Unemployed 59% 20%

Occupation

Other not working 69% 23%


31

Majority of the respondents mentioned having access to primary health & education services. Access to Hospitals & Primary Girls Schools was relatively less compared to other services (see table 8). There were no major differences in the responses by males and females except that a slightly lower percentage of females mentioned having access to health clinic. Majority of the people reported that it takes 20 minutes to 1 hour to get to the facility for most of the services.

Table 8: Does your household have access to…? (% Yes)

Time taken to get to the facility

Total Males Females

< 20 Min

20 Min to 1 hr

1 hr to 4 hrs

> 4 hrs

Don't Know

Doctor 84% 83% 85% 24% 49% 21% 6% 1%

Health Clinic 79% 81% 76% 18% 46% 26% 7% 2%

Hospital 60% 61% 59% 15% 38% 30% 16% 2%

Primary School for Boys 86% 88% 84% 37% 46% 13% 2% 2%

Primary School for Girls 66% 65% 67% 42% 43% 10% 3% 2%

Secondary School for Boys

78% 80% 76% 29% 47% 17% 4% 2%


When asked about their most recent problem 21% of the respondents mentioned water supply and an equal number mentioned electricity. Roads followed next with 16% mentioning it as the most recent problem. Water supply, electricity & family disputes were mentioned by more urban respondents, while higher number of rural respondents mentioned roads, property dispute, health services, community conflict & school/ education as the most recent problem.

Table 9 Most recent problem faced…?

Total Rural Urban

Problem with Water Supply 21% 19% 29%

Problems with Electricity 21% 17% 32%

Roads 16% 17% 12%

Property dispute 12% 13% 7%

Problem with health Services 11% 13% 7%

Conflict in community 10% 11% 6%

Problem with schools/education 7% 8% 4%

Family dispute/problems 1% 1% 3% Base: All respondents (n=3213)

32

CHAPTER 4: MEDIA CONSUMPTION AND HABITS

4.1 Access to Media Equipment

Since 2002, Afghans have had a growing number of media options and increasing access to various kinds of media equipment. The media market is becoming more diverse and the options continue to increase for Afghans. Radio remains the most significant medium in Afghanistan, with 86% of respondents reporting they have a working radio in their home, in comparison to just 44% who claim to have a television in their home. Many Afghans have access to television in places other than their home, bringing total access to television up to 58%. However, access does not necessarily translate into regular use. Still, the increase in the number of Afghans with access to television has increased exponentially since 2002 and significantly in just over a year since the last BBC survey was completed. There are significant differences in terms of access to television for urban and rural

Afghans. While almost equal numbers of urban (86%) and rural (85%) Afghans report having a radio at home, the picture for television is dramatically different. The majority of urban Afghans (88%) claim to have access to a television at home just slightly more than say they have radios, but only 32% of Afghans in rural areas report having a television at home. Access to mobile telephones is also increasing in Afghanistan. Thirty-five percent of Afghans report having a mobile phone in their home, and 56% claim they are able to have access to a mobile phone overall – a large increase since the 2006 survey. Shared use of mobile phones in families is common. Internet access remains very low. Almost no respondents in the survey reported having access at home, and only 3% of respondents in the survey reported any kind of access to Internet.

Chart 13: Access to Media

Access to media

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Radio TV Mobile

Phone

Satellite Internet Computer

%2006

2007

Base 2006: Total sample (n=2988) Base 2007: Total sample (n=3213)

33

Access to media equipment is relatively equal among men and women in the survey, with the exception of mobile phones. 61% of males claim to have some access to a mobile phone, while only 51% of females report access. The results of our survey resonate the findings of the Asia Foundation survey (2008) which reported radio ownership at 84%, TV at 38% and Mobile phone ownership at 40% among the Afghan population (See Table 10 below).

Table 10: Household Ownership of Media Equipment

Source: The Asia Foundation Survey (2008)

4.2 Information Sources Afghans gather information from a variety of sources. The respondents in the survey overwhelmingly cite radio as their primary source of news and information, followed by friends, family, and television. Printed materials and the Internet are the least common sources.

Chart 14: Sources of Information

74%68%

61%

38%

21%

12%

7%

2% 1%

Radio Friends Family TV Elders Newspapers Magazines NGOs Internet


There are some differences among different segments in the sources they choose to use. Rural respondents are far less likely to use television, 27% compared to 80% of

urban residents. They are slightly more likely to use radio (75%) in rural areas than in

34

urban areas (71%). Afghans in rural areas are also much more likely to rely on family, friends and elders for information than urban Afghans. Men and women also display some differences in their use of information sources. Women are more likely to use family members (70%) than men (52%) as sources of

information. Also, most likely due to cultural norms related to access, women are three times less likely to name religious leaders as sources of information than men.

4.3 Use of Radio and Television The majority of Afghans (78%) have listened to the radio in the last month, while

only a 42% report having watched television. However, 86% of urban Afghans report having watched television in the last

month, but only 29% or rural respondents report they watched television in the last

month. Radio is used almost equally in urban and rural areas. Chart 15: Radio and Television Use in the Last Four Weeks by Geographical Area

Base: Total sample (n=3213)

These findings on media consumption compare very well with The Asia Foundation survey (2008) which reported that 76% of the respondents listened to radio once a week or more often, and 37% watched TV with the same frequency.

4.4 Listening to the Radio The majority of respondents (78%) cited Short Wave as the frequency on which they usually listen to the radio, followed by AM/MW.

78%80%

78%

29%

86%

42%

Rural UrbanTotal

Listened to radio Watched TV

35

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

05:00 - 05:29am

07:00 - 07:29am

08:00 - 08:29am

09:00 - 09:29am

10:00 - 10:29am

11:00 - 11:29am

12:00 - 12:29pm

01:00 - 01:29pm

02:00 - 02:29pm

03:00 - 03:29pm

04:00 - 04:29pm

05:00 - 05:29pm

06:00 - 06:29pm

07:00 - 07:29pm

08:00 - 08:29pm

09:00 - 09:29pm

10:00 - 10:29pm

11:00 - 11:29pm

12:00 - 00:29am

01:00 - 01:29am

02:00 - 02:29am

03:00 - 03:29am

04:00 - 04:29am

Male Female

Chart 16: Radio Bands Listened to

Base: Active Radio Listeners (n=2519)

4.4.1. When do People Listen to the Radio?

There are two main listening peaks throughout the day for both men and women: 7.30 – 8.30am and 7.30- 8.30pm, when more than 40% of respondents reported listening. There is a slight peak around 2.30 – 3.00pm – mainly for female listeners - where over 20% of females reported listening. More men listen to the radio than women earlier in the day. From 9am this pattern shifts and more women than men listen until 7pm when the % of men listening is higher. This continues until approximately 11pm when listening becomes more popular with women once again.

Chart 17: Times Listening to the Radio by Gender

Base: All active radio listeners (n=2519)

78% 74%

67%

28%

2%

Short wave Medium Wave (AM) FM or VHF Long Wave Other

36

4.4.2. Where do People Listen to the Radio?

Most respondents listen to the radio at home – women were more likely to listen at home than men (98%: 90%), with men are more likely than women to listen at work.

Chart 18: Where do you listen to the radio most often (first mention), by gender

94% 90%98%

4% 7%1% 1% 1%1%

Total Male Female

Home

Work

At a friend orneighbours

Car

Base: All Active radio listeners23 (n=2519) (Male (n=1301), Female (n=1218))

[Percentages do not add up to 100 due to rounding.]

The second most frequently cited place where respondents listen to the radio is at a friend’s house. Once again this is higher for women. Men were more likely to mention public places such as work, cafes, and cars – more than a quarter of male respondents reported listening to the radio at work. Similarly, students, unemployed and those working were more likely to listen to radio at places like friend’s, work, public place, café etc.

Table 11: Where do you Listen to the Radio (First mention + Other mentions)

Gender Residence Occupation

Total Male Female Rural Urban Working House wife Student

Unemp- loyed Other

Home 97% 96% 99% 98% 96% 96% 99% 96% 97% 98% At a friend or neighbour’s 58% 55% 62% 61% 49% 51% 61% 70% 68% 68%

Car 31% 35% 26% 27% 44% 33% 22% 46% 40% 39%

Work 19% 34% 3% 19% 19% 45% In a public place 12% 17% 7% 12% 14% 15% 6% 19% 15% 16% Cafe, restaurant,

food stall 11% 18% 4% 12% 9% 16% 4% 10% 16% 19%

Base: All Active radio listeners (n=2519)

4.4.3. What Types of Programmes do People Listen to?

When respondents were asked to name the types of programmes they generally tend to listen to those most frequently mentioned by both men and women were news and music. Men were more likely to mention news than women (86%: 68%) although this was still the most frequently mentioned

23 Active radio listeners are those who have listened to the radio in the last four weeks

37

response by women. Programmes on music, health issues, women’s issues, and children’s programmes were more popular with women and programmes on sport, politics and business were more popular with men.

Chart 19: Types of Programme Listened to (spontaneous recall) by gender

77%

12% 12%

86%

52%

17% 15% 13% 13%12% 10%14%18%

54%

14%19%

56%

68%

News programmes Music Programmes about

health

matters/issues

Radio dramas Religion / Faith Arts

Total

Male

Female

Base: All active radio listeners (n=2519) (Male (n=1301), Female (n=1218)) [Percentages are greater than 100 because multiple response question.]

4.4.4. What Radio Stations do People Listen to?

The most popular radio station is the BBC, with 80% of all active radio listeners reporting to be aware and 41% listening to BBC Farsi and 39% BBC Pashto in the last 7 days. Other popular stations that respondents reported listening to in the last 7 days included RFA (Dari), Voice of America (Dari) & (Pashto), Arman FM and Kabul (RTA) Radio.

Chart 20: Listenership – Radio Stations

80%

66% 65% 63%60%

54%

46%42%

34% 34%

18%

41%

34%39% 38% 39% 38%

32% 34%30%

17%

26%30%

40%40%

49%

43%

55%

67%

36%

BBC Farsi RTA -

Kabul

BBC

Pashto

RFA - Dari VOA - Dari Arman FM VOA -

Pashto

RFA -

Pashto

Radio Killid

(Kabul)

Radio

Mashad

Aware Ever Within last week

Base: All active radio listeners (n=2519)

38

4.5 TV Viewing

4.5.1. TV channels: Awareness, Reach and Recency of Listening

The channels mentioned most frequently by respondents were Radio Television Afghanistan (Kabul) (93%), Tolo TV (88%), Aryana TV (86%) and Lema TV (61%). The same top four channels were also mentioned as the most watched by respondents with Radio Television Afghanistan (local) in fifth place (See chart 21).

Chart 21: TV stations – viewing (% Yes)

93%88% 86%

61%

50%47% 45%

39%

25%20%

17% 15%12%

5%10%13%

28%34%

28%33%

42%

77%82%84%

2%5%8%8%

22%24%

12%

22%

32%

51%56%

60%

RTA – TV Tolo TV Aryana TV Lemar TV Aina TV Al Jazeera

TV

RTA – Local Afghan TV Aeena TV -

Jawzjan

Iran TV VOA TV BBC World

Aware Ever Within last week

Base: All Active TV Viewers (N=1339)

4.5.2. When do People Watch Television?

The most popular time for watching television was between 7pm and 9.30pm when between 25% – 35% of people reported watching. More men report watching in the morning between 5am and 9am (between 5% – 10%); with more women watching from 9am until 6.30pm (until 5.30pm, when viewing increases). Between 7pm and 9pm, slightly more men reported watching than women although after 9pm this trend reverses with slightly more women viewing

Chart 22: Times Watching TV by Gender

18%

76%

71%

79%

05:00 -

05:29am

07:30 -

07:59am

09:00 -

09:29am

10:30 -

10:59am

12:00 -

12:29pm

01:30 -

01:59pm

03:00 -

03:29pm

04:30 -

04:59pm

06:00 -

06:29pm

07:30 -

07:59pm

09:00 -

09:29pm

10:30 -

10:59pm

12:00 -

00:29am

01:30 -

01:59am

03:00 -

03:29am

Males Females

Base: All Active TV Viewers (N=1339)

39

4.6 Trust in Various Institutions

Village Elders, Afghan National Army & Afghan National Police are the most trusted institutions. Local police, central/ local government officials and NGOs are the least trusted. Electronic media is trusted more compared to Print media, with more men than women trusting mass media.

Chart 23: Trust in Various Institutions (Totally Trust+ Mostly Trust)

69%

69%

64%

61%

53%

51%

49%

46%

45%

46%

41%

66%

61%

57%

51%

49%

49%

46%

44%

44%

40%

36%

Village Elders

Afghan National Army

Afghan National Police

Electronic media

Member of Jirga

Member of the Shura

Newspapers/print media

Local police in your area

Central government officials

Local government officials

NGOs

Male

Female


40

CHAPTER 5: AWARENESS, REACH AND FREQUENCY OF LISTENING

5.1 Programme Awareness

Of all who listened to the radio in the last month (n=1247), 50% had heard of Afghan Woman’s Hour (AWH). Awareness was higher in the South Western region at 63.7% compared with the lowest level of awareness at 23.4% in the Hazarjat region.

Table 12: Overall Programme Awareness

Total Kabul Eastern S

Central S Western Western Northern Hazarjat

Aware of AWH

49.5% 53.0% 54.8% 53.1% 63.7% 47.5% 44.9% 23.4%

Base: 2519 489 270 403 251 236 699 171

The primary target audience for Afghan Woman’s Hour is women – and as is evident in Chart 24 women are more aware of AWH than men (59.8%: 39.9%).

Chart 24: Aware of AWH by Gender

50%

40%

60%

All Male Female

Base: All Active Radio Listeners (n=2519)

5.2 Programme Reach

To date, about 45.1% of active radio listeners24 had heard Afghan Woman’s Hour. This is equivalent of approximately 11 million Afghans.

Table 13: Programme Reach

Total Kabul Eastern S

Central S

Western Western Northern Hazarjat

Listened to AWH

45.1% 45.8% 49.3% 47.9% 61.4% 45.3% 41.3% 21.6%

Base: 2519 489 270 403 251 236 699 171

24 Those who had listened to radio in the last one month

41

More than half of all female active radio listeners had heard Afghan Woman’s Hour.

Again, it is apparent that AWH is reaching its primary target audience with 55% of women having ever listened to the programme. Nearly all those who were aware of the programme had heard the programme at some point.

Chart 25: Ever listened to AWH by Gender

45%

36%

55%

All Male Female

Base: All Active Radio Listeners (n=2519)

5.3 Recency and frequency of listening

5.3.1. Recency of listening

Nearly a fifth of all active radio listeners had heard Afghan Woman’s Hour in the last 7 days with more than a third having listened in the last month.

Chart 26: Recency of Listening by Gender

44%

37%

18%

35%

28%

14%

53%

46%

23%

Last Year Last Month Last 7 days

All Male Female

Base: All Active radio listeners (n=2519) (Male (n=1301), Female (n=1218))

Of all those aware of Afghan Woman’s Hour 76% of men and 83% of women had listened in the last month or more recently.

42

Chart 27: Recency of Listening by Gender (Those Aware of AWH)

3%

15%

40%40%

3%

19%

38%38%

3%

13%

42%41%

More than a YearLast YearLast MonthLast 7 days

All Male Female

Base: All aware of AWH (n=1157) (Male (n=476), Female (n=681))

5.3.2. Frequency of listening

Of all those who were aware of AWH 90% listened to the programme more than

once a month or more. This means that about 9 million Afghans are listening more

than once a month with half of them listening every week. This high level of regular listening suggests that Afghan Woman’s Hour is

extremely popular with those who are aware of it. Women tend to listen more regularly than men although a large proportion of men are listening on a regular basis – nearly half of all those who are aware of the programme.

Chart 28: Frequency of Listening

48%

42%

53%

38%42%

35%

7% 8% 7%

2%4%

1%5% 5% 5%

Total: Male Female

Once a week or more

More than once amonth (but not weekly)

About once a month

Less than once amonth

Don't Know / Can'tRemember

Base: All Listeners of AWH (n=1103) (Male (n=920), Female (n=873)

5.4 Audience Profiles

Understanding the audience reach is important to assess whether Afghan Woman’s Hour is reaching diverse audiences. Although the primary target audience is women

43

the output aims to be driven by the heterogeneity - geographic, linguistic, educational, media access, cultural and religious – of Afghanistan.

5.4.1. Demographic Profile of AWH Listeners

As expected, the majority of AWH listeners are female (61%), but it is notable that in a country with significant separation of the sexes 39% of those who report listening to AWH in the last month are male. With the exception of gender, the demographic characteristics of AWH listeners

mirror those found in the overall sample. The largest portion of the audience is rural women, but AWH is reaching a broad cross section of Afghan society and serves as vehicle for the distribution of information to a variety of different demographic groups within Afghanistan.

• The average age of listeners is 32 years old. Overall, listeners tend to be relatively young with 58% of respondents reporting to be age 34 or younger.

• Slightly over half of AWH listeners (54%) report having no formal education compared to 58% for the whole sample.

• The majority of AWH listeners live in rural areas (78%) with 22% living in urban environments.

• Half of AWH listeners reported being housewives. Another 36% are working and 8% are students.

• Overall, 46% of listeners described themselves as Pashtuns, 37% Tajiks, 7% Uzbeks, 8% Hazaras, and 2% other ethnicities.

The chart below shows the % of respondents (aware of AWH only) by age and gender who listen to the programme once a week or more. Interestingly, of those who were aware of the programme more than half of men aged 15 - 17 are listening once a week or more.

Chart 29: % of respondents by age and gender who listen to

AWH once a week or more

54%

38% 40%

50%

36%

27%

58% 56% 56% 58%

52% 52%

15-17 yrs 18-24 yrs 25-34 yrs 35-44 yrs 45-54 yrs 55+ yrs

Male

Female

Base: All Listeners of AWH (n=1103) (Male (n=920), Female (n=873)

44

5.5 Listening to Afghan Woman’s Hour

When asked who do they listen the programme with, majority of Afghan Women’s Hour listeners mentioned that they listened to the programme on their own and almost an equal number mentioned listening with their family members or friends. It is interesting to note that in spite of being a women’s programme, the programme has sizeable listenership among family members – including males (father/ brother/ husband/ son) making it a family programme.

Chart 30: Who respondent listens to AWH with, by Gender

43%

25%

16%

31%

21%

17%

13%

46%

16%

5%6%

9%

13%15%

45%

13%

39%

11%

7%

10%12%

20%

44%

On my own Other family

member

My family -

general

Friend Mother Father Brother Husband Wife

Total Male Female

Base: All listened to AWH (n=930) (Male (n=365), Female (n=565))

5.5.1. Talking to others about AWH

AWH listeners are talking about what they hear in the programme. Over half of

listeners (56%) reported they had talked with someone regarding something they

heard on AWH. Women were more likely to do so than men (65% compared to 35%). Those who discussed issues with others did so mostly with family members and friends.

Chart 31: Talking about AWH with others

47%

35%

23%

18%

13%11%

6%4% 3%

40%

25%

19% 19%16%

8% 8%

49%

26%

17%

1% 1%

10%

44%

19%

5%

9%

14%

32%

Family

member

Friend Mother Father Brother Husband Community

Elder

Wife Colleague Religious

leader

Total Male Female

Base: Listeners who talked with someone about what they heard on AWH (524).

45

It is interesting to see that men also reported talking about the programme with community elders, colleagues & religious leaders indicating its influence on the listeners and their communities.

5.5.2. Listeners’ views of Afghan Woman’s Hour

The vast majority of AWH listeners feel that listening to AWH is beneficial to them. Specifically:

• 96% agree they think more positively about lives of women after listening to AWH (Men: 93%; Women: 98%).

• 91% agree the show helps them better understand women in different

situations than them (Men: 87%; Women: 94%). • 91% agree that listening to AWH helps them to solve problems (Men:

86%; Women: 94%). • 80% agree they often talk about things they hear on AWH (Men: 74%;

Women: 84%). • 79% agree that men enjoy listening to AWH (Men: 82%; Women: 77%).

Testimonials – an Afghan woman telling the story of her life followed by

discussion.

693 (or 75%) of AWH listeners have heard a testimonial on AWH, in which a woman tells the story of her life followed by a discussion. Most AWH listeners agree that testimonials are beneficial to them. Specifically:

• 93% agree it is important to hear stories about individual experiences

(Men:90%; Women: 95%) . • 83% agree the stories inspire them to change their own situation (Men:

80%; Women: 83%) . • 87% agree the stories remind them of their own situation or someone they

know (Men: 84%; Women: 89%). • 76% agree the discussion challenges the way they think (Men: 72%;

Women: 79%). Music of Our Village – Women from across Afghanistan performing songs or

music from their village.

72% (671/930) of AWH listeners have heard this segment. Of them:

• 92% agree that this music celebrates Afghan life (Men: 88%; Women: 95%). • 88% agree that hearing this music makes them feel closer to fellow

Afghans (Men: 83%; Women: 90%). • 88% agree that hearing this music makes them feel proud of Afghan

culture (Men: 85%; Women: 90%) • 61% agree that hearing this music makes them want to sing/play music

(Men: 61%; Women 61%).

Women and Work – women from across Afghanistan describing the work they do

to generate income

75% (701/930) of AWH listeners had heard of this segment. Of them: • 93% agree that listening to this programme made them realise that there

are more opportunities for women to work than I thought there were (Men: 90%; Women: 96%).

46

Women in Parliament – female members of Parliament talking about their role

and responsibilities and how they were elected

76% (705/930) of AWH listeners had heard this segment. Of them:

• 95% agree that this programme helped them to understand more about how government works (Men: 95%; Women: 95%).

• 90% agree that they understood the importance of women participating in Parliament after hearing this (Men: 85%; Women: 92%).

• 92% agreed that listening to this programme made me realise how important it is to vote (Men: 93%; Women: 91%)

5.5.3. Intensity of Listenership

We classified programmes listeners by intensity of listenership as under: a. Heavy listeners: Those listening to AWH once a week or more often b. Medium listeners: Those listening more than once a month but not weekly c. Light listeners: Those listening once a month or less often d. Non Listeners: Those who haven’t listened in the last one year or have

never listened There were almost an equal number of heavy (18%) and medium (19%) listeners, and 8% respondents were classified as light listeners. The balance 55% were non-listeners of programme AWH.

Chart 32: Intensity of Listenership

18%

8%

55%19%

Listeners Non-Listeners

Light

Medium

Heavy

Base: Active Radio Listeners (n= 2519) Expectedly, we find that there are more women among heavy listeners as compared to non listeners (see chart 33).

Chart 33: Intensity of Listenership by Gender

60% 61%50%

40%48%

40% 39%50%

60%52%

Heavy Listener Medium Listener Light Listener Non Listener All Respondents

Males

Females


47

There were no major differences in the profile of listeners by other demographics such as age, education, monthly household income and area of residence (urban vs. rural). However, there appear to be slight difference in the profile by marital status – with more married respondents being heavy listeners of AWH.

Chart 34: Intensity of Listenership by Marital Status

72% 71% 66% 67% 69%

26% 25% 33% 30% 28%

3%3%1%3%2%


Widowed

Single

Married

Base: All Respondents (n=2513)

Some differences emerge in the profile of listeners by region and ethnic group. Pashtuns and those from the South Western & Western provinces have a higher proportion among heavy listeners compared to those from other regions/ ethnicities.

Table 14: Intensity of Listenership by Region & Ethnicity

Heavy Listener

Medium Listener

Light Listener

Non Listener

All Respondents

Region Northern 27% 24% 23% 29% 27% Central/Kabul 15% 26% 16% 19% 20% South Central 15% 14% 28% 15% 16% Eastern 10% 12% 14% 10% 11% South Western 17% 12% 10% 7% 10% Western 12% 8% 7% 9% 9% Central/Hazarjat 4% 4% 2% 10% 7% Ethnicity Pashtun 50% 42% 56% 42% 44% Tajik 35% 38% 28% 35% 35% Hazara 7% 10% 4% 9% 8% Uzbek 6% 8% 6% 9% 8% Others 2% 2% 5% 6% 4% Base: All Respondents (n=2513)

48

CHAPTER 6: GENDER EQUALITY

6.1 Attitudes on Gender Equality

The survey endeavored to gauge public opinion on the issue of gender equality. Respondents were asked for their opinions about equality of opportunity for education, opportunities for women to work outside the home, opportunities for women to participate in public life and equal rights for women in issues related to marriage and domestic matters. Close to three-quarters of the respondents agreed (with 37% agreeing strongly) that a wife should obey her husband even if she disagrees with him. Slightly less than half agreed (with 21% agreeing strongly) that it is inappropriate for women to perform music and more than half disagreed (with 24% disagreeing strongly) that women should be able to move in public without restriction. 39% agreed (with 16% agreeing strongly) that it is okay for a husband to hit his wife if she disobeys him. 59% agreed that it is acceptable for women to work and earn money, and 79% agreed that family members should be involved in the decision who one should marry.

Chart 35: Overall Attitudes Towards Gender Equality


Analyzing the responses further it emerged that females, younger persons (15-24 years), those with higher levels of education and those from urban areas had more positive attitudes on gender equality. It further emerged that those from Southern provinces (south western & south central) and those belonging to Pashtun ethnic group had the least supportive views on overall gender equality.

6.2 Views on Marriage and Children’s Education

A majority of the respondents agreed that they would freely express their opinion on issues like desirable number of children a family should have, views about the marriage of a family member and views about education of children. Nearly

7%

8%

16%

20%

24%

27%

13%

18%

23%

30%

31%

30%

34%

36%

33%

27%

26%

23%

45%

37%

26%

21%

17%

16%

2%

2%

3%

2%

2%

4%

Family members should be involved in the decision on w ho

should marry

A w ife should obey her husband even if she disagrees w ith

him

It is acceptable for married w omen to w ork and earn money

It is inappropriate for w omen to perform music

Women should be able to move about in public w ithout

restriction

It is acceptable for a husband to hit his w ife if she disobeys

him

Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't know / Don't w ant to answ er

49

everyone agreed that it is important that their children get educated. There were no major differences in the views expressed by male and female respondents. However, on two issues there were differences. More women than men agreed that girls should be allowed to attend school, and that girls and boys should have equal access to higher education. 91% of the females compared to 86% males agreed that girls should be allowed to attend school. Further 84% of females compared to 73% of males agreed that girls and boys should have equal access to higher education.

Chart 36: Views on Family and Children’s Education


6.3 Support for Gender Equality

We created an index for support to gender equality by measuring the responses to some attitudinal statements related to opportunities for women. The process is described below:

1. The respondents were grouped into 3 categories based on their responses to the following attitudinal statements:

i. It is acceptable for married women to work and earn money ii. Women should be able to move about in public without restriction iii. Girls should be allowed to attend school iv. Girls and boys should have equal access to higher education v. It is acceptable for a woman to decide who she should marry vi. A wife should obey her husband even if she disagrees with him vii. It is inappropriate for women to perform music viii. It is acceptable for a husband to hit his wife if she disobeys him

2. Respondents agreeing strongly to statements 1 to 5 and disagreeing strongly to statements 6 to 8 were categorized as highly supportive

3. Those disagreeing strongly to statements 1 to 5 and agreeing strongly to statements 6 to 8 were categorized as least supportive

4. Others were categorized as moderately supportive

80%

77%

88%

94%

88%

79%

81%

77%

89%

95%

86%

73%

80%

77%

88%

93%

91%

84%

Would freely express view s on the desirable number of

sons and daughters the household should have

Would freely express view s about the marriage of a family

member

Would freely express view s about the education of children

It is very important to me that my children are educated

Girls should be allow ed to attend school

Girls and boys should have equal access to higher

education

Total

Male

Female

50

Chart 37: Support for Gender Equality


Data shows that slightly more than a quarter are highly supportive, more than one third are least supportive and nearly 40% are moderately supportive of Gender Equality. Analyzing by demographics, differences emerge among various segments in their attitudes towards gender equality (see charts 38 to 44 below). Women, younger people (15 24 yrs), those with higher education and single respondents show high support for gender equality. Among ethnic groups Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks & Turkmens; and those from the Northern, Western & Central/ Kabul provinces show high support. By contrast Pashtuns & Nuristanis and those from the South Western, Eastern & South Central parts show least support for gender equality. Metro (Kabul) & City dwellers and middle income families show high support for gender equality relative to other groups

Chart 38 to 44: Support for Gender Equality by Different Demographics

Moderately

supportive

39%

Least supportive

34%

Highly supportive

27%

65%

50%

31%

35%

50%

69%

Low Support

Medium Support

High Support

Males

Females

51

28%

33%

40%

28%

25%

23%

22%

19%

16%

22%

23%

21%

Low Support

Medium Support

High Support15-24 yrs

25-34 yrs

35-44 yrs

45 yrs +

62%

55%

54%

33%

41%

40%

4%

4%

6%

Low Support

Medium Support

High Support Illiterate

Schooled

College &

above

24%

28%

32%

72%

68%

64%

3%

4%

4% 1%

Low Support

Medium Support

High SupportSingle

Married

Widowed

Divorced/

Seperated

52

84%

72%

74%

4%

3%

2% 9%

8%

6%

14%

16%

6%Low Support

Medium Support

High SupportVillage

Town

City

Metro

(Kabul)

53%39%

33%

8%

8% 10%

3%

8% 11%

30%40% 37%

2%2%

3%5%

2%

2%4%

Low Support Medium Support High Support

Tajik

Hazara

Uzbek

Turkmen

Others

Nuristani

Pashtun

27%

28%

35%

8%

13%

15%

16%

11%

12%

14%

9%

7%

14%

10%

5%20%

23%

16%

7%

7%

6%Low Support

Medium Support

High Support

Northern

Western

Central/ Kabul

Central/ Hazarjat

South Central

Eastern

South Western

53

6.4 Attitude Towards Gender Equality and Intensity of Listenership

Analyzing by intensity of listenership, we can see that among heavy listeners there is a higher proportion of those highly supportive of gender equality (see chart 45 below). The reverse is true for the non-listeners which has the highest proportion of those least supportive.

Chart 45: Attitude Towards Gender Equality by Intensity of Listening

26% 28%36% 37% 33%

41% 43% 31%39%

40%

33% 29% 34%24% 27%


High support

Mediumsupport

Low support

Base: Active Radio Listeners (n=2519)

Although we can’t establish causality with the current research, there is strong evidence of a correlation between degree of exposure to AWH and support towards gender equality.

6.5 Freedom to act Respondents were asked how free they were to decide on the following in their household:

• what to listen to on the radio • whether to visit the local market • whether to visit the local health centre

6.5.1. Comparison by gender

These questions provide interesting background information on the freedom of respondents to make decisions. There were slight differences between men’s and women’s responses to these statements (see Table 15). As anticipated, for all statements women were less free than men.

• For ‘deciding what to listen to on the radio’ 50% of women felt ‘completely free’/’quite free’ – for men this figure is 60%. This means that nearly 50% of women didn’t feel free to decide what to listen to on the radio.

• For ‘deciding whether to visit your local market’ only 41% of women felt ‘completely free’/’quite free’ - for men this figure is 67%. More than 26% of women felt that they were ‘not at all free’.

54

• For ‘deciding whether to visit the local health centre’ just over half of women (55%) and two thirds of men (67%) felt ‘completely free’/’quite free’. 16% of women felt they were ‘not at all free’ to make this decision.

Table 15: Freedom To Decide

What to listen to on the radio Males Females Total

Completely Free 18% 11% 14%

Quite Free 42% 39% 41%

Not Very Free 23% 26% 25%

Not Free At All 15% 21% 18%

Don't Know/ No response 2% 4% 3%

Whether to visit the local market





Don't Know/ No response 2% 2% 2%

Whether to visit the local health centre





Don't Know/ No response 2% 3% 3% Base: All Radio Listeners 3213

6.6 Women In Parliament Segments

This section aimed to explore the differences in Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours of respondents to a range of governance related indicators. The questions were designed to reflect the aims of the segment including:

• increasing understanding of and trust in the political system • emphasizing the importance of the role of women in Parliament and society

more broadly • emphasizing the importance of voting • encouraging women to feel that they have a voice

This segment has been running since March 2007 and so far, 27 different episodes of this segment have been broadcast. Each segment involved an interview with a female Member of Parliament and discussion of her experiences.

55

This section includes responses on the following: • views on the acceptability of female MPs • levels of understanding of the political system • levels of trust in the political system • attitudes to voting

6.6.1. Women as MPs

Respondents were asked whether or not they agreed with the following statement:

• In our country it is acceptable for a woman to be a member of Parliament

Women were significantly more likely to agree with this statement than men – 73% of women agreed and only 56% of men. Analyzing by the intensity of listenership, it is evident that the heavy listeners of AWH have more supportive attitudes towards women’s role in public life, including their role in governing the country as MPs.

Table 16: Views on Women’s Role by Intensity of Exposure

In our country it is acceptable for a women………..

Heavy Listener

Medium Listener

Low Listener

Non-Listener

To get paid work outside the home 77% 71% 65% 67% To have their own business/enterprise 53% 50% 50% 45% To have an influence on issues in the community 65% 63% 55% 53% To be a teacher 82% 82% 77% 80% To be a member of parliament 70% 71% 61% 61% Base: All active radio listeners (n=2519)

6.6.2. Understanding of the political system

Respondents were asked whether they could name any of the levels of government in Afghanistan. Comparison by gender

With the exception of government at the village level (this includes Jirga/ Shura/ Malik/ Khans/ Nawabs) men were more able to name the different levels of Government than women (See Chart 46).

56

Chart 46: There are different levels of government in Afghanistan,

can you name any? (% naming)

There are different levels of Government in Afghanistan, can

you name any?

77.371.1

51.6

32.1

21.7

67.1

58.2

40.3

24.1 23.6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Central Provincial District Municipal Village

%

Male

Female

Bases differ across levels of government

Comparison by level of exposure

It was anticipated that those who listen to the programme regularly would be more aware of ‘Central Government’ than non-listeners. The following table confirms that a higher percentage of AWH listeners are familiar with the Central Government. For other levels there were no significant differences in the awareness of listeners and non-listeners, except for CDC where a higher proportion of listeners compared to non-listeners were aware.

Table 17: Awareness of different levels of Government

Heavy Listener

Medium Listener

Low Listener

Non-Listener

Central Government 75% 76% 76% 70% Provincial government 68% 69% 61% 67% District government (including Jirga/Shura/Woluswal) 47% 44% 46% 47% Municipal Government (includes Mayor) 27% 35% 31% 28% Village government (Jirga/Shura/Malik/Arbab/Mirab/Khans/Nawabs) 25% 23% 23% 23% Community Development Council (CDC) 25% 26% 18% 19% Base: All Respondents (n=2519)

6.6.3. Familiarity with different levels of government

Respondents were asked whether they felt familiar enough or not with each of the different levels of government shown above.

Comparison by gender

Across each level of government men felt more familiar than women.

57

Chart 47: Familiarity with Different Levels of Governemnt.(% Yes) by gender

Familiarity with Different Levels of Government (% of Yes) by Gender

(Prompted)

6269 66

57 5865

74 72

63 636165

62

51 54

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Central Provincial District Municipal Village

%

Total

Male

Female


6.6.4. Trust in different levels of government

Respondents were asked how much trust they have in the different levels of government. Comparison by gender

Women were slightly less trusting of village level government than the men. Responses for local and central government officials were similar for men and women.

Charts 48 – 51: How much trust do you have in the following institutions (by gender)?

Base: All (bases different for each level of government)

Trust In Member of Jirga

13

3337

1713

29

41

1714

3832

16

0

10

20

30

40

50

Not Trust at

All

Trust a Lit t le Trust Most ly Trust

Complet ely

%

Total

Male

Female

Trust In Member of t he Shura

14

33 34

1813

3136

2015

3632

16

0

10

20

30

40

Not Trust at

All


Complet ely

%

Total

Male

Female

Trust In Cent ral government of f icials

15

38 35

1215

37 36

1214

3934

13

0

10

20

30

40

50

Not Trust at

All


Complet ely

%

Tot al

Male

Female

Trust In Local government of f icials

17

3734

1317

3734

1216

3633

15

0

10

20

30

40

Not Trust at

All


Complet ely

%

Total

Male

Female

58

6.6.5. Participation in political processes

Respondents were asked whether they had participated in the following activities:

• voted in the last election • peaceful demonstration • contacted a Member of Parliament


As expected there are significant differences between the level of participation in these activities between men and women:

• 73% of men and 66% of women voted in the last election • 33% of men and 22% of women have taken part in a peaceful

demonstration • 39% of men and 28% of women have contacted a Member of Parliament

Chart 52: Political activities respondents have participated in (% Yes), by gender

One Has Participated In (% of Yes) by Gender

70

33

73

39

66

28

01020304050607080

Voting in last election Contacting a MP

%

Total

Male

Female



Analysis of levels of participation by exposure group was undertaken for ‘contacting an MP’ as it was hypothesised that regular listeners would be more likely to contact an MP as a result of hearing this segment. Data indicates that higher percentage of AWH listeners compared to non-listeners have participated in various political activities. However, it is interesting to note that the participation is higher among medium and low listeners compared to heavy listeners. This could be because a high proportion of heavy listeners are women and housewives who do not get as many opportunities to participate in such activities outside their homes.

Table 18: Participation in Different Political Activities

Heavy Listener

Medium Listener

Low Listener

Non-Listener

Voting in last national election 76% 82% 79% 79% Participating in a peaceful demonstration 28% 34% 35% 32% Contacting a Member of Parliament 37% 42% 48% 38% Base: Active Radio Listeners (n=2519)

59

6.6.6. Fear of participation of participation in political processes

Respondents were asked if they were to participate in these activities in the future, how much fear they would have. Comparison by gender

As expected women were significantly more likely than men to select ‘some fear’ or ‘a lot of fear’ in response to this question.

• More than a third (38%) of all respondents said that they would experience ‘a lot of fear’ or ‘some fear’ voting in a general election (men: 32%; women: 42%)

• Half of all respondents said that they would experience ‘a lot of fear’ or ‘some fear’ contacting a Member of Parliament (men: 42%; women: 57%)

Charts 53 & 54: How much fear would you feel if you …..(by gender)?



It was anticipated that exposure to the segment on women in Parliament would result in respondents feeling less fear about contacting an MP in the future. Interviewing MPs about their journey to becoming an MP, their role and responsibilities and the process involved in contacting an MP may break down some of the pre-conceived barriers and reduce levels of apprehension.

Table 19: Willingness to participate in political activities without any fear

Would feel no fear in……. Heavy Listener

Medium Listener

Low Listener

Non-Listener

Contacting a Member of Parliament 40% 36% 38% 35% Base: All Active radio listeners (n=2519)

6.6.7. Attitudes to voting

Respondents were asked for their views on the following statement:

• When people like you vote they can really change what is happening in Afghanistan today


Women were more likely to agree/strongly agree with this statement than men (men: 61%: women 65%).

How Much Fear When Voting in Election

63

28

9

68

26

6

59

30

12

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

No fear Some fear A lot of fear

%

Total

Male

Female

How Much Fear When Contacting a Member of Parliament

50

37

13

58

33

9

43 41

16

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

No fear Some fear A lot of fear

%

Total

Male

Female

60


It can be seen that a higher percentage of AWH listeners expressed strong agreement with the statement that when people like them vote they can really change what is happening in Afghanistan.

Table 20: Attitude to Voting

% Strongly agreeing Heavy Listener

Medium Listener

Low Listener

Non-Listener

When people like me vote, they can really change the way that

Afghanistan is governed 26% 24% 28% 19% Base: All Active Radio Listeners (n=2519)

6.6.8. Faith in the political system

We asked respondents to what extent they agree with the following statements: • You have a say in the way Afghanistan is run • You don’t think the government care much about what people like you

think • More and more I feel helpless in face of what is happening in Afghanistan

today • When people like you vote they can really change the way that

Afghanistan is governed • Democracy brings westernisation, too much freedom and will challenge

Islamic values Comparison by gender

There were some differences in the responses of men compared to women to these statements:

• Women were more likely to strongly disagree/disagree that they have a say in the way Afghanistan is run (men: 33%; women 39%)

• Interestingly, although women are less likely than men to feel that they ‘have a say in the way Afghanistan is run’ they were more likely to disagree/strongly disagree that ‘the Government doesn’t care much about what people think’ (men: 41%; women: 45%)

• There were minimal differences between men and women’ s responses to the statement ‘more and more I feel helpless in face of what is happening in Afghanistan today’.

• Overall women had more positive values in relation to democracy. 52% of women and only 42% of men strongly disagreed/disagreed that ‘democracy brings westernisation, too much freedom and will challenge Islamic values’. Furthermore, 8% more women than men strongly disagreed with this statement.

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Charts 55 to 58: Faith in Political System

Chart 55: Chart 56: One has a say in the way Afghanistan is run

11

25

43

21

10

23

46

21

11

28

41

20

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Strongly

disagree

Disagree Agree Strongly agree

%

Total

Male

Female

Base: Total=3045 (men=1550) (women=1495) Base: Total=3036 (men=1526)

(women=1510)

Chart 57: Chart 58:

One feels helpless in the face of what's happening in Afghanistan

today

10

23

38

29

11

23

38

28

10

23

37

30

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Strongly

disagree


%

Total

Male

Female

Government doesn't care much about what people think

13

31

38

18

13

28

40

18

12

3337

18

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Strongly

disagree


%

Total

Male

Female

Base: Total=3001 (men=1513) (women=1488) Base: Total=3047 (men=1552)

(women=1495)


Data shows that heavy listeners of AWH do not only feel more engaged with the local and national governance systems, but they are also more critical of the government. On one hand they feel they have a say in the way their local area and the country is run, but on the other hand they think that the Government doesn’t care much about what they think. Also, there appears to be a simmering helplessness in not being able to change many things in Afghanistan.

Table 21: faith in the Political System

% Agreeing strongly Heavy Listener

Medium Listener

Low Listener

Non-Listener

I don't think the government cares much about what people like me think 19% 12% 13% 16% I have a say in the way your local area is run 23% 17% 11% 20% I have a say in the way Afghanistan is run 22% 16% 9% 20% More and more, I feel helpless in the face of what's happening in Afghanistan today 30% 28% 28% 25% Base: All Active Radio Listeners (N=2519)

Democracy brings westernisat ion, and will challenge Islamic

values

20

2730

23

16

26

33

252428 27

22

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

St rongly

disagree

Disagree Agree St rongly

agree

%

Tot al

Male

Female

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CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSIONS

7.1 Performance of Programme in Reaching Target Audiences

It is clear that Afghan Woman’s Hour has built a formidable awareness and reach among Afghan audiences. Half of all who had listened to the radio in the last month had heard of Afghan Woman’s Hour (AWH). Awareness was higher in the South Western region at 63.7% compared with the lowest level of awareness at 23.4% in the Hazarjat region. Further awareness was higher among women – the primary target audience of the programme.

The quantitative survey indicates that about 45% of active radio listeners have listened to Afghan Woman’s Hour. This is equivalent to approximately 11 million Afghans.

More than half of all female active radio listeners had listened to Afghan Woman’s

Hour. Again, it is apparent that AWH is reaching its primary target audience with 55% of women having ever listened to the programme. Nearly all those who were aware of the programme had heard the programme at some point. The majority of AWH listeners are female, but it is notable that in a country with significant separation of the sexes nearly 40% of those who reported listening to AWH in the last month were males. With the exception of gender, the demographic characteristics of AWH listeners

mirror those found in the overall sample. The largest portion of the audience is rural women, but AWH is reaching a broad cross section of Afghan society and serves as vehicle for the distribution of information to a variety of different demographic groups within Afghanistan. 7.2 Impact

On the positive side, the data indicated that women displayed a significant capacity to aspire, which included specific aspirations in domains relevant to the programme segments they had recently finished listening to (suggesting that AWH has made an impact.) They also had critical awareness of social barriers, could identify causal agents that might help or hinder them, displayed the ability to brainstorm (an important component of problem-solving) and had the capacity to express voice within the all-female group. Furthermore, they displayed the intention to inform other women of relevant issues, and, in some cases, the intention to discuss these issues.

Less encouraging, however, was that for the most part their aspirations were not particularly focused or specific, and they had a low perceived ability to influence and low perceived competence outside of the female domain of child-rearing, (which is already considered to be an area of female expertise.) This meant that they did not display knowledge of the ways in which to influence causal agents. For example, a woman might demonstrate knowledge that men were causal agents, but not be able to indicate how she would go about attempting to influence them. There was little evidence of leadership, and little indication that participants would

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take any direct action to influence outcomes other than discussing the issues raised with other women.

The lack of perceived ability to influence and perceived competence proved critical to all the other components, as even in the areas where the women excelled, such as in their capacity to brainstorm, they displayed passivity; the suggestions they generated indicated not what actions they could take, but what could be done for them. Encouragingly, there is evidence that AWH has the potential to enhance women’s capacity to aspire, by giving them ideas about specific goals. It is also has the potential to enhance women’s perceived ability to influence, and perceived efficacy. The litmus test for empowerment is whether poor and subordinate groups have effectively advanced their particular interests through their own choice and action. In order for AWH to help women translate their aspirations into action, it must attempt to facilitate agency through psychological empowerment. In order for empowerment to occur, however, aspects of the opportunity structure (such as male opinion) must also be addressed. As there is a large male audience for Afghan Women’s Hour, a significant opportunity exists for the programme to tackle this aspect of the empowerment framework as well.

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CHAPTER 8: RECOMMENDATIONS

8.1 The quantitative study revealed that AWH has built a formidable awareness

and reach in Afghanistan, reaching 45% of the radio listeners or 11 million people in Afghanistan. Further, it is reaching its target audience with 55% women having listened to the programme. However, the reach is relatively low in the Hazarjat & Northern regions compared to other provinces.

RECOMMENDATION 1: It is recommended that AWH explore methods of

increasing its reach in the two provinces – Hazarjat and Northern provinces

while continuing to build on the high reach in other areas. It is significant that

AWH is also listened to by males, and the programme must continue to appeal

to them because they are important stakeholders in the process of

empowerment.

8.2 AWH can help provide Afghan women with specific, achievable goals that will help them to improve their lives:

The quantitative survey results show that more than three-quarters of AWH listeners have listened to different segments of the programme – Testimonials, Music of Our Village, Women & Work, and Women in Parliament. Close to 90% listeners agree on the benefits of the specific segments. The benefits include inspiration they get from listening to individual experiences, influencing their opinions or behaviours in different ways, making them feel proud of Afghan culture and encouraging political, civic and electoral engagement among the listeners. AWH audiences who participated in the focus group discussions also displayed a significant capacity to aspire and dream. They frequently said that they would like to see changes and improvements in women’s lives. Having this “capacity to aspire” is a necessary and positive component of psychological empowerment. However, the women’s aspirations, while frequent, tended to be vague. e.g. This kind of programs can change our life to a beneficial life [32, Housewife,

Illiterate, Dari, Kabul]

The women’s goals were for the most part broad and undefined, with not a lot of concrete, small scale aspirations mentioned. After listening to the AWH segment about the “grass-lady” who started a dairy-cottage industry, however, the women got ideas about more specific goals towards which they could aim. e.g. I do want to get a cow now and start milking it. [20, Housewife, Illiterate,

Pashto, Kabul]

This suggests that AWH can help give women more concrete ways in which to focus their broader aspirations for change.

RECOMMENDATION 2: It is recommended that the AWH continue to showcase

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the successes of other women in specific small-scale endeavours that could be

replicated by listeners, in order to help listeners develop concrete, achievable

goals.

8.3 AWH can help increase women’s perceived ability to influence and perceived competence:

Although the women in the focus groups had broad aspirations for change, they had very little confidence in their own ability to influence the world around them and act competently, both necessary components for psychological empowerment. This is also resonated in the quantitative survey findings. The survey found that although more than 60% people feel that they have a say in the way their local area and Afghanistan is run, the majority also feel that the government doesn’t care what they think and they feel helpless in face of what is happening to Afghanistan today.

Most of the comments made by participants in the focus groups were notable for their passivity; women spoke of the hope that their lives would be changed, rather than expressing a desire to change their lives through action. Agents of change were usually seen to be men, the radio programme AWH, other radio and television programmes, the government, Mullah’s and society in general. e.g. All the problems are related to government somehow. The government

should do something about all problems. [26, Journalist, Literate, Dari, Mazar-e-

Sharif]

Listening to AWH did help to increase women’s feeling that they could do something to change their situation in certain instances. Women who listened to the “grass-lady” segment felt they too could earn an income: e.g. I felt that every woman can work to find money. [20, Housewife, Illiterate,

Pashto, Jalalabad]

AWH segments that depict women working and succeeding could therefore serve as an important confidence booster for other women.

One weakness of the segments played, however, was that they did not teach women how to emulate or replicate the successes they were hearing about. Listeners were often left with questions about exactly how a specific outcome was achieved (e.g. How did the woman make that product? How did the woman get permission from her husband to do that?)

RECOMMENDATION 3: It is recommended that the AWH provide specific

information that will enable women to replicate what they have heard about,

thus increasing their perceived ability to influence and perceived competence.

(For example, modelling the kind of conversation a woman might have with her husband in order to get permission to work outside the home would be more useful that just hearing about a women who got such permission.)

8.4 AWH can attempt to help develop women’s critical awareness of facilitators that will enable them to overcome the barriers they face.

The participants in the study displayed “critical awareness” about a wide range

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of factors in their environment, most notably the barriers facing women in Afghan society. Their knowledge often went beyond simple understanding, to a highly complex understanding of how and why the barriers existed. Some of the barriers mentioned were:

o The difficult lives that many Afghan women lead o The extremely hard work that many Afghan women must engage in o The barriers and restrictions on some women’s freedom of movement o Problems and conflicts that can occur in households o Pressure on women to bear sons o Difficulty accessing healthcare o Difficulty getting education o Barriers to discussing issues with men that women want to discuss o Difficulties in breaking through the culture of inequality

Similarly, in the quantitative survey, insecurity (attacks/ violence/ terrorism), presence of Taliban and presence of Warlords emerged as the key problems related to security. Economic hardship comprising unemployment, poor economy, high prices & poverty was the other biggest problem facing Afghanistan. Governance issues (Corruption, power, roads, education, health, shelter, drinking water) were cited by few respondents as the major problem. The respondents were, however, much weaker when it came to identifying facilitators that could help them overcome the barriers they faced.

RECOMMENDATION 4: It is recommended that the AWH focus on facilitators

which can enable women, in both small and large ways, to overcome barriers.

Facilitators could be anything from skills, to knowledge of community

organisations, to information.

8.5 AWH can attempt to help women identify causal agents and how to influence them:

While the women in the study displayed a large degree of critical awareness about the barriers they faced, they did not display a great deal of knowledge about how to influence intermediaries, such as people, objects or events, which could either inhibit or enhance their efforts to achieve their goals. They could only identify such intermediaries.

RECOMMENDATION 5: It is recommended that AWH address ways in which

women can influence men, heads of households, religious leaders, radio and

TV stations, and government. (For example, segments could include arguments to support a woman’s case, which could be used in a discussion. Or segments could include information on how to contact members of parliament, or how to persuade a literate family member to write a letter for you.)

8.6 AWH can attempt to help women develop certain skills which facilitate empowerment:

There are several skills which facilitate empowerment, namely: decision-making, problem-solving, leadership and capacity to express voice.

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In the focus groups, it was difficult to draw conclusions about “decision making” and “leadership”, partially because they were not the specific focus of the initial BBC WST research. However there were several examples of excellent problem solving skills. The women in the focus groups were able to engage in very effective collective brainstorming, although most of their suggestions were passive.

e.g. I think that they can enlighten people's minds by using other media

such as posters and stickers. They can do so in clinics since clinics are

good places in terms of location. [30, Seamstress, Literate, Dari, Kabul]

I think through medical propagations which have been on since a long

time they can express their messages concerning this issue…[27, Nurse,

Literate, Dari, Kabul]

They can put such messages in the books of literacy courses. It is a very

useful channel as well. [26, Housewife, Literate, Dari, Kabul]

The women also displayed a significant capacity to express voice within the all-female group. They were able to debate, contest, oppose, question and share their opinions and experiences.

RECOMMENDATION 6: It is recommended that AWH focus on developing

women’s decision-making and leadership skills, which are important precursors

to empowered action. (This could be done, for example, by interviewing successful women and asking them how they make or have made important decisions.) AWH could also try to facilitate more active thinking about how to overcome barriers. (For example, when interviewing women about their problems, an interviewer could ask about the ways in which the women themselves can take action. Testimonials are also a vehicle for showcasing how women’s own actions have helped them overcome adversity.)

8.7 AWH can attempt to increase women’s understanding of the resources required to achieve certain concrete objectives.

It is difficult to measure resource mobilization skills in the absence of specific goals, as different goals require different resources. While the women in the study did express some understanding of general resources that could help them, they did not display extensive knowledge of how to acquire those resources, or manage them once obtained.

RECOMMENDATION 7: It is recommended that AWH help increase women’s

understanding of required resources by highlighting those resources necessary

to achieve certain concrete objectives. (For example, after a segment about a woman who runs a dairy cottage industry, there could be a short instructional section about the resources required to run such a business, such as livestock, pasture, family support, buyers for products, etc.)

A notable exception was information. The women recognized the radio as a powerful source of information, and were comfortable requesting information on items they wished to hear about.

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RECOMMENDATION 8: It is recommended that AWH continue to recognize the

value of audience research, as audience research ensures the programme is

covering issues relevant to women, in a manner that women can relate to. Also,

the act of giving input can itself empower the listener. 8.8 AWH can attempt to encourage community participation, as it is through the

formation of collectives that empowerment is most effectively achieved:

The goal of psychological empowerment is ultimately some sort of behaviour change indicative of empowered action. The evidence indicates two types of behaviour change among the focus group participants: Firstly, women absorbed the messages of the three segments they heard, and expressed the desire or intention to:

• Breastfeed their babies equally • Not feed opium to their children • Emulate the “grass lady’s” success running the dairy cottage industry

Secondly, and perhaps more significantly, a notable portion of the study participants said that they intended to inform others about what they had learned, particularly other women. This is a form of community involvement (even though the emphasis tended to be on instructing, advising or passing on “correct” ways of doing.) Community involvement and the formation of collectives is an extremely important part of empowerment. Empowering individuals may not have the desired effect, because of the influence of shared values, norms, beliefs, and traditions in a society. Collective empowerment, on the other hand, can change ideas about the social order. Women who operate through collectives gain confidence and the ability to challenge power structures, leading to empowerment on both an individual and group level.

RECOMMENDATION 9: It is recommended that the AWH project facilitate

bringing women together into collectives to listen to the programme. For example, the project could facilitate the formation of listening groups for women, and women could be encouraged to listen together and discuss the programme.

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