Masooma Muradi,the Sole Afghan Woman Governor In a Man's World

Surrounded by male advisors and condescending "mansplainers", Masooma Muradi holds her own against a deep underswell of sexism in a society unaccustomed to women exercising authority.

Breaking new ground as Afghanistan's only female governor, Muradi's ascent to the top post in remote Daikundi province is a remarkable feat in Afghanistan, where stubborn patriarchal traditions are at odds with progressive ideas about a woman's place in the world.

But barely a year after President Ashraf Ghani appointed Muradi, her job hangs by a thread, with growing calls for her ouster from religious conservatives and opponents. It highlights the travails of being the only woman in an overwhelmingly male preserve.

"People claim to be open-minded but many cannot bear having a woman in this position," Muradi, 37, told, sinking into an overstuffed sofa in her office in the capital Nili.

"I won't allow men to hush me up...society is not used to that from a woman," she added.