"Despite the apparent increased oppression that women have encountered with the emergence of fundamentalism in many Muslim states, many women prefer their lives to westernized women who are projected as corrupt, licentious, and anti-family. Women are fearful of change that weakens kinship ties and therefore social and economic dependencies; women want to be morally upright believers; women feel that their faith endows them with the will to keep their husbands and children on the path of God; women feel a sense of security within the household and outside, and finally fear modernization that may confuse and complicate their daily lives through disruption of "traditional" institutions. Given the present conditions of life in Afghanistan, religion may be perceived as the only force able to reinstate a sense of nationhood, kinship solidarities, and economic and political empowerment against what are seen as corrupting western ideologies and forces" (Ahmed-Ghosh).
This is a common misconception. The women support the religious beliefs because they know it will ensure society with a stable way of life. The women are too scared to believe in a different way of life that could lead to chaos.
However, women are unaware that by breaking this religious pattern could in fact stabilize their society. "Investing in women can increase economic development and stability in society" (Riphenburg 403).