For economic and social reasons, many Afghan parents want to have a son, BBC reported. This preference has led to some of them practicing the long-standing tradition of Bacha Posh -- disguising girls as boys.

Azita Rafhat is a former member of the Afghan parliament. Three of her daughters are clothed in white garments and their heads covered with white scarves, but a fourth girl, Mehrnoush, is dressed in a suit and tie.

When they go outside, Mehrnoush is no longer a girl but a boy named Mehran. Azita Rafhat didn't have a son, and to fill the gap and avoid people's taunts for not having a son, she opted for this radical decision.

"When you have a good position in Afghanistan and are well off, people look at you differently. They say your life becomes complete only if you have a son," she says.

Many girls disguised as boys can be found in Afghan markets. Some families disguise their daughters as boys so that they can easily work on the streets to feed their families.

Elaha lives in Mazar-e Sharif in northern Afghanistan. She lived as a boy for 20 years because her family didn't have a son and reverted only two years ago when she had to go to university.

However, she does not feel fully female: she says her habits are not girlish and she does not want to get married.

(China.org.cn March 29, 2012)

据英国广播公司报道，由于经济和社会原因，阿富汗许多父母想要一个儿子。这种偏爱导致阿富汗形成了一个悠久的传统，即把女孩扮成男孩。

阿兹塔·瑞菲特是阿富汗一名前议员。她的3个女儿都身着白色长衫，头系白色头巾，但是她的小女儿梅尔诺什却穿西装打领带。

当她们外出时，梅尔诺什就不再是女孩了，而是一个名叫梅汗的小男孩。阿兹塔·瑞菲特没有儿子，为了弥补这一缺憾，避免外人嘲讽她没有儿子，她只有做出这个偏激的决定。

她说：“当你在阿富汗有很高的社会地位并且很富有，人们就会对你另眼相看。他们会认为，只有你生了个儿子，你的人生才会变得完整。”

在阿富汗街上可以找到很多女扮男装的孩子。有些家庭将女孩装扮成男孩，是为了让她们找工作更容易些，来赚钱养家。

艾拉哈居住在阿富汗北部的马扎里沙利夫。因为家中没有儿子，她就扮成男孩生活了20年。直到两年前，她因为要上大学，才又变回女儿身。

然而，她却完全感觉不到自己是个女人：她说她的各种习惯已经不再女性化，而且她完全不想结婚。