Rasuli, 49, is the head of a madrassa(religious school) which teaches 700 girls. Today is not a working day, so she tells us she will spend it with her family.

Greetings and good morning to you. I hope your prayers and worship are accepted by the Almighty and will continue to be. Today is my day off, and I am taking care of household matters. First, I need to organise my home after a busy work week.

Then, I will recite one part of the Quran, and we will spend time together as a family with happiness, joy, and energy. In the afternoon, we will go out for some fun for a picnic as a family. I hope all of you have a wonderful day like this as well.

She told us a little earlier about her work at the school - she says that under the Taliban, more time is spent on religious subjects:

I have been in this job for more than eight years now. We are all women working here, with only one man working in our school – he is our guard.

This Islamic school has existed for a long time, even before the Taliban came to power. Our students are studying the same subjects we used to teach them during the Republic government.

The only change we have seen in this school since the Taliban came to power is that, during the Republic government, we used to teach modern subjects [maths and science] for longer hours. But now, it has been reduced to a minimum, only once a week. We now teach modern subjects for only one hour a week, while spending more time teaching our students Islamic subjects.

Mahdia - whose story we have shared below - was inspired to draw a picture of a female television presenter after they were ordered to cover their faces by the Taliban's Ministry of Vice and Virtue.

But this rule is just one which has been brought in by the Taliban government impacting what people see on their television screens.

Last year, the Taliban went further, and imposed a ban on live images for TV channels - meaning anything from humans to animals cannot appear on screens alive.

The ban initially only applied to seven of Afghanistan's 34 provinces.

But today, the National Television branch in Farah Province became the latest to suspend broadcasts following this restriction, the Afghanistan Journalists Centre reported in a statement.

Image source, BBC News: Nava Jamshidi

Mahdia, 14, is an artist who is seen here holding up a portrait of a female news presenter wearing a facemask. She drew this after women were asked to cover their faces on air.

I love art, especially painting. Since childhood, I have always imagined how wonderful it would be if I could draw anyone’s face in their work attire, capturing them in their professional role.

For me, painting was a way to show others what I imagined—to illustrate the images that formed in my mind.

Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of becoming both an artist and an astronaut - I even wondered if it might be possible to paint in space and leave my artworks there as a legacy, without bringing them back to Earth.

After the education ban, I was only able to attend a painting class for two months and a German language class for a short time. But now, I continue practicing both at home.

There aren’t many opportunities to attend classes. The good ones are far from home, and my father prefers that I don’t go out too much. Besides, the classes available aren’t very advanced.

I also never asked my father to pay for my classes because he is currently unemployed, and I don’t want to burden him with extra expenses.

Moska is 19 and comes from a remote part of central Afghanistan. She told the BBC that, since being barred from school in 2021, she has been reading and re-reading the books that she has in her room.

Most of them are schoolbooks, which I keep reading because I have no other books.

There is no bookshop or library nearby to borrow books from, and my family does not have the financial means to buy new ones.

I have no other choice but to repeatedly read my old books, to the point where I am sure I have memorised most of them.

These 17 or 18 books have become like my dearest friends—whenever I want to read, they are all I have.

I feel deep sorrow that, for more than three years, I have been unable to read any new books or learn anything new.

Image source, Supplied

Yogita Limaye
South Asia & Afghanistan correspondent

In the time we’ve spent on the ground covering the aftermath of the ever-increasing restrictions being brought against women, it has become obvious that there are serious divisions within the Taliban government on the issue of women’s education.

In January, Taliban deputy foreign minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai said there was “no reason to deny education to women and girls” and that “just as there was no justification for it in the past and there shouldn’t be one at all”.

His is a rare public remark, but several times in the past three-and-a-half years, Taliban leaders have told us in private that they too believe women and girls should be allowed to study and that they are trying to resolve the issue.

In some provinces, we have even seen local Taliban government officials facilitating medical training for female students.

Sources have told us that the issue of women’s education was brought up before the Taliban’s supreme leader Hibattulah Akhundzada in council meetings with religious scholars and tribal elders. The BBC cannot independently verify this.

But the supreme leader has remained intransigent and has continued to impose crushing restrictions on women.

Image source, Supplied

Earlier, we heard from Ala, the artist and dental assistant, about her love of painting and her efforts to learn English.Here is more about her life, in her own words.

After the outbreak of Covid-19 and the restrictions on people, I started focusing on my artistic work from home.

When the pandemic ended and the political shift in my country, I began studying dentistry at one of Kabul’s universities.

Unfortunately, after completing my first year, restrictions were imposed on female students, and for the past three years, I have been completely deprived of education.

Despite these challenges, I still hold on to a glimmer of hope and strive to find a way forward.

We’re hearing again from Zarina, a psychologist working with women and girls - this time reflecting on the how women have adapted to Taliban rule.

Afghanistan changed suddenly and unexpectedly, which was really difficult for many people, especially for working women and schoolgirls. The situation of each woman varies depending on her understanding of her surroundings and the damage she has suffered - it is not the same for everyone.

Some were separated from their loved ones, some faced economic hardship, some lost their jobs, schoolgirls were deprived of education, and university students were distanced from their goals and left with unfulfilled dreams.

The number of women and girls needing counselling increased significantly in this period of time (in the last three years).

The BBC has put questions to the Taliban about its restrictions on women’s freedoms. It has previously said that it respect women's rights in accordance with their interpretation of Afghan culture and Islamic law.

Zarlashat, 20, was in Year 10 at school when the Taliban took control and closed schools for girls. She was only able to study midwifery and now assists a doctor and writes prescriptions at a rural clinic. We'll have more on her story in a moment, but for now, this was her update this morning:

Hello, I hope you are having a good day. I hope you have started your morning well and happily. As always, I was busy with household chores today.

From 06:00 to 07:30 in the morning, I spent time praying and reciting the Holy Quran. I swept the floor and prepared food for my mother since she is not fasting.

I made tea for her and served it to her. Right now, I am sitting with some family members, and we are trying to spend time together in the courtyard.

Image source, Supplied

Speaking to Zarshalat earlier in the week, she told us that after her education was interrupted she and other young women like her were issued graduation certificates last year.

By the time I received my certificate, all universities had been closed for women. I had no choice but to enrol in a midwifery course as it was the only option available.

She told us that the Taliban government declared that women were no longer able to attend private universities, which affected her studies.

A doctor from my village, out of compassion, invited me to work at his clinic and offered to teach me how to write medical prescriptions. Currently, I work in a clinic in a rural area. every afternoon, I go to his clinic for a few hours, learning how to write prescriptions under his guidance.

Image source, BBC News: Nava Jamshidi

The Taliban has said the rules it has brought in since 2021 have been accepted in Afghan society and that the international community should respect "Islamic laws, traditions and the values of Muslim societies".

It has justified some of the restrictions it has imposed on women, such as the edict that a woman's voice should not be heard outside the home, by saying they have been introduced in line with Islamic law, known as Sharia.

However, it has also repeatedly promised that teenage girls would be readmitted to school once a number of issues were resolved - including ensuring the curriculum was "Islamic". This is yet to happen.

We’re getting some more detail now from Freshta, a midwife, about what her Fridays look like under the restrictions imposed under the Taliban government.

On Fridays, we mostly do housework. Since we work all week, Fridays are for deep cleaning, doing laundry, ironing, and general home maintenance. We clean the guest room, tidy the house, and even prepare food for the upcoming week.

Since we don’t always have time to cook, we make large batches of food and store them in the fridge. Sometimes we prepare enough food to last a week.

Our activities are very limited. We mostly stay on our phones, reading books or browsing information online. One of the books I’ve been reading is called Please Be a Good Wife, which seems to be written by the same author as Please Don’t Be a Sheep.

We also don’t have family gatherings. I wish someone would invite us over so we could have a change of scenery and refresh our minds.

I remember the last time we had a proper outing—just a week before the Taliban government took over. We went to Paghman, Bamiyan, and Band-e-Amir. Now, those days feel like a distant memory, and it makes me incredibly sad. Seeing pictures and memories from that time is very hard for me.

Ala, 28, is a dental assistant and also works from home as an artist. Her dentistry studies were stopped after the Taliban government came into power.

Fridays, which are off days in Afghanistan, are spent doing housework. I work as a dental assistant for five hours a day at a dental clinic, where I receive training and gain medical knowledge.

I have dedicated two hours each day to learning English. Additionally, I set aside two days a week for my artistic work, creating artworks such as oil paintings, illumination, and miniature painting.

I have a great interest in oil painting of nature and flowers, as well as the delicate art of illumination and drawing Islamic arabesque designs.

Image source, Supplied

We are spending the next seven hours or so speaking to a dozen women and girls about their lives after spending the last three-and-a-half years living under the Taliban government.

Since 2021, the restrictions brought in by the Taliban - which include being barred from education over the age of 12, as well we what jobs they can do and even which parks they can walk in - have impacted almost every part of women's lives, and make it difficult to tell their stories.

Many of those women we are speaking to today will not be using their own names because they fear getting in trouble.

So stay with us, and if you have a question for any of the women, then please do get in touch using these details.

Image source, BBC News: Nava Jamshidi

Hela, 24, makes traditional Afghan clothing for women and employs seven other women, all of whom financially support their families. This is what she told the BBC.

My business is going well, but compared to the past, it is not as good as before. However, I am happy.

The reason it [my business] is not doing so well is that the economy of Afghanistan is getting worse day by day.

From time to time, there are seminars run by the government about business development, and I participate in them. They teach us marketing, administration, management, and investment.

This is my work, and I am busy with it for now.

Meet Lima, an 18-year-old from a rural district in Afghanistan who loves to sing. We asked her this morning what she typically gets up at this time of day.

Take a shower then just rest. Reading novel, or chatting with AI, usually, to empty every single word of me - to talk, ask questions, or simply treat as a friend.

The AI app makes a character of your favourite idol. All the famous people you know you can talk with them or say anything you want. You can ask them questions. You can give yourself a fake hope and make them your friend or family.

We also asked Lima about her relationship to music. She told us that her favourite artists are Billie Eilish, BTS, Tamino, Lana Gel Ray, Lady Gaga, Shawn Mendes and Charlie Puth, and told us the following:

I used to sing and listen to songs since I was young. Then, by time passing, everyone told me that I've got a beautiful voice. Then I just sang with myself while cooking, while walking, while showering, and that’s it. I can sing.

I spend my day with music. During nights, I think a lot - like a crazy overthinker, about the uncertain future I’ll face.

I can free my soul by singing while I’m limited in every way. Between a few old mud walls, there’s a girl [me] that sings against the all rules they made, and making herself free by that.

Yogita Limaye
South Asia & Afghanistan correspondent

When the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, they declared that women would be allowed to study and work, and that women would be very active in society.

More than three years later, however, those assurances have proven hollow - brutal restrictions have been imposed on women and girls, taking away their freedoms bit by bit.

Teenage girls are barred from school, and universities for women have been closed. Women are unable to work, except in a few sectors like security and healthcare but restrictions in these fields have been increasing too. Women are also barred from working for domestic and international NGOs.

Those who tried protesting against these bans have been met with violence, detention and threats. Slowly, the marches have stopped.

According to the Supreme Leader’s diktats, women must wear clothing that covers them from head to toe, including their faces. A law that he imposed last year means women are also barred from speaking in public.

The enforcement of these rules is not uniform across the country, and in a few places, certain restrictions are not rigorously implemented. But for the large majority of Afghan women and girls, their lives have been halted as they spend day after day shut into their homes.

Image source, BBC News: Nava Jamshidi

Let’s check back in with Zenat, the woman running a bakery out of her home, who describes having to move her business inside her home after the Taliban took government.

The doughs I bake are from my neighbours, as it is part of their routine. No one else brings their dough from far away for me to bake because my oven is inside the house and most people don’t know that I have opened a bakery here.

Whatever I earn each day, we spend on that same day. We live a difficult life.

Under the previous government, my work was good, and I had a steady income, as did my husband.

I had a bakery outside, and many people used to bring their dough to me. I used to bake bread for 25 to 30 people. But now, my bakery is inside my home, and I only have five or six customers.

A few months ago my husband went to Iran to find work. We borrowed money to send him there, but unfortunately there wasn’t enough work there either. My husband and I are illiterate, but we always wanted our two sons to be well-educated. Our dream was for them to become doctors and teachers.

But now, I don’t think our dream will come true because we cannot afford to send them to school.

Zarina, 24, is a psychologist who provides counselling to women and girls of all ages. This is what she has told us about what her day ahead is looking like.

Today is Friday, and since it is a holiday, my plan is to participate in your programme, take care of some tasks, and read some books.

I recently bought some books by [the author and academic] Hakan Menguc. The book that I am reading now is called No Encounter is by Chance.

Image source, Supplied

Previously, Zarina told us about her job.

At work, I dedicate most of my time to helping and supporting other women. I truly love my work as a counsellor for girls and women, but it can sometimes feel overwhelming.

Each individual brings a unique story filled with personal struggles and sacrifices. The variety of experiences is both enriching and challenging.

We're spending today checking in with women across Afghanistan, and while they're answering our questions, they're also ready to answer any questions you might have about their daily lives too.

If you've got a question about how they spend their time in Afghanistan, you can get in touch via:

• Email bbcyourvoice@bbc.co.uk
• WhatsApp: +44 7980 682727
• Or online

Freshta is a midwife who had her education interrupted during the Taliban’s first rule. She is not working today - she gets one Friday a month off - but her days off used to look very different before 2021, as she explains.

"When we had a day off, we would go out to refresh our minds and bring some change to our routine. We used to visit parks, gardens, or even the zoo. Sometimes, we would take our children to the city for a change of atmosphere.

"This brought us a sense of freshness, and when we returned to work on Saturday, we felt good and motivated.

"However, for the past two or three years, we unfortunately have nowhere to go. We can't even step out for a day. The only places we can go are supermarkets, and even there, we face restrictions. For example, we must be fully covered and cover our faces with a mask.

"Shopping has also changed. We only have shopping as a hobby because we have nothing else to do. Previously, we had access to different brands and styles, especially Turkish and Kurdish clothes, but now those companies are no longer active."

We'll hear more from Freshta throughout the day.

Image source, BBC News: Nava Jamshidi

Zenat, 55, is a baker. She used to run a bakery, but now operates a small home-based setup where neighbours bring her dough to bake.

I go outside and clean around the yard, gathering, cleaning and tidying up things. Gradually, I make my way towards the tandoor (traditional afghan oven).

Once I reach the tandoor, I clean the surrounding area, arrange firewood, and then begin preparing the dough. By around noon, the dough is ready.

Once the dough is prepared, I light the tandoor and start baking bread. Throughout the day, I usually prepare and bake around four to five batches of dough.

Since it is Ramadan, people have limited resources, so they often request just a couple of freshly baked breads.

On most days, I bake between four to six batches, but no more than that. I keep the tandoor running from around 12:00 until about 15:00 or 15:30. Since the dough quantity is not very high, the bread is usually sold out quickly. By the time I finish baking, it’s around 16:00 or 17:00 sometimes up until 18:00.

Zenat told us in earlier conversations with us that she gets paid five Afghanis (five pence) per loaf of bread.