Is it possible to set the stacking order of pseudo-elements below their parent element?

I am trying to style a element with the :after pseudo element CSS selector

#element {
    position: relative;
    z-index: 1;
}

#element::after {
    position:relative;
    z-index: 0;
    content: " ";
    position: absolute;
    width: 100px;
    height: 100px;
}

It seems like the ::after element can not be lower then the element itself.

Is there a way to have the pseudo element lower then the element itself?

Solution

Pseudo-elements are treated as descendants of their associated element. To position a pseudo-element below its parent, you have to create a new stacking context to change the default stacking order.
Positioning the pseudo-element (absolute) and assigning a z-index value other than “auto” creates the new stacking context.

#element { 
    position: relative;  /* optional */
    width: 100px;
    height: 100px;
    background-color: blue;
}

#element::after {
    content: "";
    width: 150px;
    height: 150px;
    background-color: red;

    /* create a new stacking context */
    position: absolute;
    z-index: -1;  /* to be below the parent element */
}

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <title>Position a pseudo-element below its parent</title>
</head>
<body>
  <div id="element">
  </div>
</body>
</html>