Nothing is impossible
To mark Refugee Week, Dr Shahira Shahir from Cardiff School of Management reflects on her journey from leaving Afghanistan and seeking sanctuary in the UK to being awarded a PhD.
As a nine-year-old Afghan girl, when the Taliban first took control of Afghanistan, I was banned from attending school simply because I was female. I often wondered what was in the books that we were forbidden to read. That curiosity led me to continue my education in secret classes, held under a tree in my teacher’s house, and at great risk.
When the Taliban fell in 2001, I returned to formal education. I went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in economics from Herat University, followed by an MBA in India on a scholarship.
By the age of 26, I had become a Faculty Dean at Qhalib University. Although I was free to study and teach, I worked in a male-dominated environment and faced significant gender discrimination. Despite these challenges, I remained determined and served successfully in this role for four years. I later joined Herat University as a lecturer and was promoted to senior lecturer within three years.
In 2021, when the Taliban returned and once again banned women from education and work, everything I had built was taken from me. But I refused to let that be the end of my story.
Determined not to give up, I secured a scholarship from Cardiff Metropolitan University, along with a fellowship from CARA (an organisation which helps academics who are forced to flee their home countries), and moved to Wales to pursue my doctoral degree, leaving behind my family and friends.
Starting a doctorate in gender equality in a completely new country and context tested my courage, strength and resilience, and revealed what I was truly capable of. Through this journey, I came to understand that gender inequality is a global phenomenon, shaped by context and expressed in varying forms across different institutional and cultural settings.
During this time, I published an article on female academics in Afghanistan, presented my work at four academic conferences, contributed to two research projects as a Senior Research Assistant, delivered public talks as an Afghan academic, and became the first Afghan to be awarded a fellowship at the education charity Cumberland Lodge. I now work as an Associate Tutor in Human Resource Management at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Today, having completed my doctoral degree, I believe that nothing is impossible if we do not give up. I continue my academic journey with a deep commitment to equality. My story is not only about what I have endured, but also about what I stand for: the right to education, dignity and opportunity. I am determined to use my voice, my research and my experience to challenge inequality and contribute to meaningful change, so that no one is denied their future because of who they are.