Profile
Afghan Women's Affairs Minister Mas'uda Jalal (AFP)
Nationality: Afghan
Date of Birth: 1950
Education: studied elementary and high schools in Pole Khomry, where her father was a clerk; studied in the medical faculty in Kabul
Occupation: Afghanistan's minister for women's affairs; has worked as a physician in a number of Kabul hospitals; under the Taliban regime, she worked for United Nations development programs; was the first-ever female presidential candidate in country's landmark 2004 election, finishing sixth with 1.1 percent of the vote
Family: Married, with three children