posted 01-15-2006 04:24 PM         

MAINTAINING A DISTANCE OF 5 PACES BEHIND Barbara Walters of 20/20 did
a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan, several years before the
Afghan conflict. She noted that women customarily walked 5 paces behind
their husbands.

She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk
behind their husbands. From Ms. Walters vantage point, despite the
overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem to walk
even further back behind their husbands and are happy to maintain the
old custom.

Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, "Why do you
now seem happy with the old custom that you once tried so desperately to
change?"

The woman looked Ms. Walters straight in the eyes and without
hesitation said, "Land mines."