CIAO DATE: 02/2008
Volume: 6, Issue: 1
Spring 2007: Women in Turkey
From the Desk of the Editor (PDF)
Diba Nigar Göksel
Since the founding of the Turkish Republic, women have been central to its image as viewed from abroad. They have also figured strongly into competing visions among domestic political groups. With this issue of TPQ we hope to look beyond the symbolism women have come to represent and identify real life trends women in Turkey are experiencing – along with their implications for economic development, human rights, and the consolidation of Turkish democracy.
Women's Rights in Turkey (PDF)
Nimet Çubukçu
Women in Turkey are pleased to know that women's rights and gender equality is a very important part of the acquis communautaire and that any country that wants to become a member of the EU has to adopt the principles of the acquis. Complying with the norms of the EU will bring many benefits to Turkey and, without a doubt, will also benefit the EU. In this new century of rapid global transformations, women still face inequalities in fields such as education, health, employment and decision making – despite the fact that women's struggle to obtain equal rights and opportunities began in the 19th century and gained importance and recognition after the two major wars of the 20th century.
Empowering Women in Turkey: A Priority in the Pre-Accession Process (PDF)
Vladimir Spidla
Empowering women must be a priority in the pre-accession process and all stakeholders must be mobilized to ensure effective progress and implementation on the ground of the new rights. This means strengthening the administrative capacity of relevant bodies and appropriate structures to monitor women's situation. Member States have a lot to share with Turkey and exchanges of best practices in different fields will enable the various actors to face the challenges brought by the need to adapt the welfare system.
Women's Human Rights: Turkey's Way to Europe (PDF)
Emine Bozkurt
The average Turkish woman does not yet fully profit from the legislative changes in her daily life. There is an urgent need to speed up implementation and to take further concrete steps. The legislation should be backed up through concrete action plans, strong institutions and sufficient resources. For women to be able to claim rights they have on paper, it is necessary for them to have a degree of economic independence. In Turkey, there is no consistent policy to combat disincentives for women entering the labor market.
Gender Equality in the Workforce (PDF)
Karita Bekkemellem, Nigar Göksel
In 2004, Norway introduced a 40 percent gender representation quota for the board members of state owned companies and privately owned public limited companies. In this interview with TPQ, the Minister who has led this initiative explains why this was necessary and articulates where the future lies for gender equality in the country. "The silliest thing I hear is that we don't have enough qualified women. In Norway,there are a high number of women in paid work and Norwegian women are highly educated. The reason is not that we do not have enough qualified women –indeed we do– it is that women's competence is often ignored. We regard the legislation regarding women on companies' boards as an important step towards equality between the sexes, a more balanced distribution of power, and a fairer and wealthier society."
From a Men's Democracy Towards a Real Democracy (PDF)
Selen Lermioglu-Yilmaz
The underrepresentation of women in political decision-making has been a major problem for Turkey since the 1960s. Ranking 167th among 189 countries with 4.36percent women in the Turkish national parliament, it is obvious that Turkey has to ensure women's "fast-track" access by legislating affirmative action (quotas).Although still perceived as controversial by some, quotas have proved to be the only successful way to ensure women's rapid access to political power and a requite common. A legislative quota is necessary for women to overcome the social and economical obstacles that prevent them from entering politics in Turkey, and for the country's politics to profit from the rich and unused experience and skills of women.
Turkish Women: A Century of Change (PDF)
Katharina Knaus
This article aims to present a few of the individuals who have shaped the women's movement in Turkey, to make some voices heard, and to inspire curiosity that will lead the reader to want to explore the work of Turkish women historians and women activists themselves. The colorful differences which enrich the women's movement in Turkey are depicted with references to their work and their opinions.In the 1970s the international women's history movement was launched.Books –such as "Hidden from History" or "Becoming Visible"– had titles that were in themselves a program. They had a clear purpose: To produce"new knowledge" about women and their often forgotten role in history.1And they had a political agenda: as Gerda Lerner once wrote, "women's history is the primary tool for women's emancipation."
The Disqualification of Women Wearing the Headscarf in Turkey (PDF)
Hidayet Sefkatli Tuksal
The author presents an outline of the last two decades of the headscarf controversy in Turkey, from the perspective of a 'religious feminist'. She questions not only the intentions of those who present the headscarf as a threat, but also the sincerity of the government in wanting women with head scarves to fully join public life. The author explains how the headscarf is not necessarily a part of package that includes different forms of degradation of women, as much as cases like Afghanistan naturally make the world think otherwise.Almost 20 years ago, in the front yard of the Faculty of Theology of Ankara University, a group of young girls were on a hunger strike for the first time in their lives, protesting the headscarf ban on students.They perceived the impasse as being rooted in the power struggle between the secular elites and religious people.
Imagining a New World (PDF)
Nebahat Akkoç
This article is a call from the heart of Southeast Anatolia, from a woman who has been working with women facing violence in the region for approximately 14years. The author shares her insights about the larger social system that rendersviolence a part of daily life, defining who we are. Akkoç sees the alternative of hierarchy, discrimination, and violence in an outlook that allows people to be individuals,free to make their own choices. The solution to violence against women lies in a broader transformation that involves solidarity among people who valueeach others differences, she concludes.
Women in America: The Other Fifty Percent (PDF)
Christina Bache Fidan
Historically, if you were not a property owning white male you did not have the right to vote in America. The decision to allow women the right to vote, after a long struggle, in 1920, was a key turning point in the transformation of the American democratic experience. The challenge from then on, of making this right meaningful across America, through changing mindsets and training women, was left, for the most part, on the shoulders of civil society. To secure a higher representation of the national congressional seats in Washington, the Federal Government must reinforce legislation such as affirmative action for gender mainstreaming in all policy areas. The inclusion and empowerment of women in the political arena is of utmost importance to achieving a government that is truly "by the people, for the people."
The EU's Influence on Women's Activist Groups Networking: A Comparison Between Turkey and Greece (PDF)
Hande Eslen-Ziya
This paper investigates whether the European Union (EU) membership and/or reparation for membership creates new opportunities for better networking, collaboration, and communication among women's activist groups. The case of Turkey and Greece are taken up to examine how women's activist groups use the process of EU negotiations to construct stronger networks for improving genderrelated policies and discourse in their countries. In this context, the limitations of the EU are also noted.
ACADEMIA: ESI Report- Sex and Power in Turkey (PDF)
Legal reform is only the first step on a very long road. It needs to be backed up by resources and government initiatives, to raise awareness and empower citizens touse the new legal framework. Even then, it can take many years for the effects to become visible across society. The vast range of cultures and lifestyles, ranging from post-modern to neo-feudal, in Turkey is one of the most important policy challenges facing Turkish policy makers.Over the past 18 months, a team of ESI analysts has been researching the changing reality of women in Turkey. We talked to dozens of Turkish politicians,activists, academics and business people. Our research took us from women's shelters in wealthy areas of Istanbul, through the growing urban centresin Turkey's southeast, to small towns near the Iranian border. We sought to answer two questions: What are the root causes of Turkey's vast gender gap; and what is being done by Turkish political actors to try to close it?