None of the six women I spoke with wore a burqa during the interview. I asked them what they thought of the outfit that many in the West see as a visible sign of female oppression.
"I like the burqa," the female member of the provincial council told me. "I don't have to worry about my makeup or my hair when I wear it out."
Still, most women expressed disdain for the garment but also saw it as a necessary evil.
"It hides our identity," a kindergarten teacher said. "That is important."
The Taliban have threatened and even killed working women, particularly those in high-profile jobs. Most women who venture out in public wear the burqa for the anonymity it provides.
Do the women believe when there is complete security in Afghanistan, that will be the end of the burqa?
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