Vol. 8, Issue 1, Part A (2026)

Persistent political instability, sexism, custom, and religion have all had a role in shaping Afghan women's conditions for a long time. Marriage is one of the numerous institutions that manage women's lives; yet, it is frequently more of a place of confinement and control than a place of companionship. For many Afghan women, marriage limits their access to education, movement, bodily autonomy, and self-expression, making the home a "marital cage." There is limited space for individual agency or choice within this framework, and women's identities are often reduced to subservience, reproduction, and endurance.

So, the fight for Afghan women's independence needs to be seen through the prism of marriage and family as much as it does through politics and law. Polygamy, child marriage, forced marriage, and the practice of exchanging women to resolve conflicts all serve to solidify gender hierarchies and normalise women's oppression. Traditional tribal practices and misunderstandings of religious teachings justify these practices, which have the effect of silencing women and making their pain invisible. Consequently, liberation struggles are more often carried out in private homes than in public places, and they are both very individual and highly communal.

One potent way to look at this unseen tyranny is in literary accounts and memoirs written about or set in Afghanistan. Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns and other modern Afghan literature highlight the plight of women in abusive marriages and show how they fight back, stand firm, and desire independence. These stories show how marriage is a toxic environment where women fight for their lives and establish their place in society while also fighting for their autonomy.

Examining how marriage arrangements function as tools of patriarchal dominance and highlighting instances of resistance and empowerment, this article aims to learn about Afghan women's pursuit of freedom in connection to the institution of marriage. This study seeks to challenge the stereotype of Afghan women as helpless victims by examining their agency, resilience, and subtle resistance through the lens of feminist and postcolonial feminist theory. Ultimately, the publication argues that Afghan women begin their fight for freedom at home, where escaping the confines of marriage becomes a dramatic display of pride and independence.