How are women in Afghan culture shown in the Kite Runner?

Women's role in Afghan culture is best shown through the characters of Soraya and Jamila. There are many examples in the Kite Runner where these women are controlled in their decisions because that is what they are meant to do in the Afghan culture:

• Soraya has no choice in whether she wants to marry Amir, it is General Taheri who must agree that Amir is suitable. 
• Amir finds out that Jamila is an amazing singer, but the General refuses to let her sing in public. She wanted to sing at the wedding, only one song,  however she was not allowed to.
• When Soraya and Amir speak at the flea market they only do so when the General is not there as he would not allow it. When he does find out that they have been meeting he tells gently that it is not allowed for him and Soraya to do that, even in her mother's presence.
• When Baba is ill in the hospital and Soraya goes to comfort Amir he tells her she should go back because her father may go after him if he finds out she's with him.
• Soraya wants to be a teacher and is very passionate about it, but her father wants her to be a lawyer.

These examples show that Soraya and Jamila are controlled by General Taheri because he seems to have power over them.
There are also a few examples of women experienceing double standards in the book:

• "Their sons go out to night clubs looking for meat and getting their girlfriends pregnant, they have kids out of wedlock and no one says a god-damn thing. Oh they're just men having fun! I make one mistake and suddenly everyone is talking about nang and namoos, and I have to have my face rubbed in it for the rest of my life."
• When Amir first speaks to Soraya in the flea market he says that people would find it charming that he strikes up conversation with her, but would call her a 'lochack' for 'not letting him go'.

The General's relationship with Jamila is very unloving, and I think this is also caused by how strictly and seriously he takes their culture, but also because he seems to be quite an compassionate character. They sleep in separate rooms, and have done for as long as Soraya can remember. He is also very cold towards her:
"I learned that he could be petty, such as when he'd take a bite of the qurma his wife placed before him, sigh, and push it away."

This could be explained through the quote:
"People here marry for love, family name and ancestry never even come into the equation."

Which shows that, to him, it is most important to marry for reputation, rather than love or happiness."

Hassan and Amir are both motherless, which makes it difficult for us to see what would be expected of a mother, however it Amir says that Ali lost his wife to a "fate most Afghans considered far worse than death: She ran off with a clan of travelling singers and dancers." This shows that men find it embarrassing for their wives to run off, as it means that they are unsatisfied and shows that the husband cannot provide for her or please her.