So, I'm going to preface this by saying I know far less about the actual conditions in Afghanistan and the political structure of the Taliban than I should, other than far right wing and fascistic. Embarrassingly so.

If women are considered property under their rule, if there were a massive labor shortage leading to the economic need to employ women in the workforce, would it not be a less extreme change to their status quo to enslave women to work in their factories, paying them nothing, or only paying their male family members (fathers, husbands), than it would be to employ the women, pay them directly, and risk women having some level of agency?

I don't know if Islam has rules surrounding slavery, but it seems that even if it is outlawed in their holy book, if it is, the Taliban is really only using Islam as a cover for extremism. They're not exactly a spiritual movement, they're a a far right political movement using the trappings of religion to get the state they want. And if it isn't outlawed, if it has conditions for the treatment of slaves, the way the Bible does, then that would make it even easier, i would think.

Again, may be talking out of my ass. I don't know much about the actual workings of the Taliban, or the material conditions of women in Afghanistan.