WOMEN IN TURKEY
By Jonisa Dionysia Litsi
This article aims to provide a general overview of the current situation of women in Turkey. I lived in Turkey, in Istanbul for three months. In this respect, from my point of view, I would like to discuss the issue of women rights and gender equality within Turkey.
Before I came to Istanbul, I was full of prejudices, full of false ideas about this country and the role of women in it. I thought that being a woman in Turkey must be an unbearable situation, from which they wanted to escape. Since I came here I realized how much I had been brainwashed by the European and International media, so as to think like that. Until now I have a very optimistic view of Turkish reality. It is not a dreamy situation but it is a hopeful situation. There are some very good examples, such as the impressive legislative steps which Turkey has taken.
Human’s rights issues, in this case women’s rights, deserve particular attention. Women’s rights issues in Turkey came under the spotlight the past years as a part of the negotiations with EU and the possibility of being a candidate member of EU. The gender gap is considerable decreased. The process of becoming an EU member is a catalyst for framing, recognizing and reshaping the social and economical conditions and opportunities for women in Turkey. So as to improve its standing in the international community Turkey made a genuine effort to harmonize its legislation with the International legislation and the EU directives. Turkey made a significant progress in the establishment of the legal framework with the changes in the Turkish Penal Code, Civil Code, Labor Code, Family Law and Municipality Law. These legal changes can only be regarded as the first steps, taking into consideration that the average Turkish woman does not fully profit from the legislative changes. Despite the impressive advances, there are a lot of failures in the implementation of the law, in addition to the existence of other important factors such as their social status, the geographical location, their ethnic origin etc.
Turkey is a paradoxical country in terms of women’s rights. While big cities such as Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara have made very important progress towards improving women’s rights in the rest of Turkey and especially in the east women have still no control or say on their bodies. The major ares of concern in this region are honor crimes, sexual and physical violence, the high percentage of illiterate women etc. I heard from lots of people that Istanbul and Izmir are very progressive and exciting places but they are not the “Real Turkey”. The expectations of gender norms and roles in the rural area of Turkey are very different than they are in urban areas or in Istanbul. It is clear the importance of the strengthening of national mechanisms and women’s organizations. The establishment of women’s rights and gender equality is a process that requires social, mental and political transformation. For this to happen, Informing women and society about women’s rights constitutes an important contribution to the establishment of gender equality. The lack of awareness restrains women from fully exercising their rights.
The challenge of the coming years is about politics. There are politicians, such as Erdogan, who talk about how women should live their lives. “Women status rise by being a mother and heaven is only one step away from them. Every woman should have at least three children”. Furthermore, Turkish women’s participation in formal politics it is still low. A better representation of women in Turkish politics will lead to stronger participation of women in other spheres of life too. Women are still underrepresented in politics, but they found other forms of political participation, such as participation in social movements. Political will is one of the most important conditions for the success of the gender equality. Last years, a lot of anti-governmental protests have been all around Turkey. Almost 50% of the demonstrators in these protests are women, mostly young women. They protest for a better life , without discrimination and corruption. They fight to liberate women and open new spheres and opportunities for a better life.
March 2014. a woman photographer captures the anti-government protest. A 15 years old boys dies after being shoot by police.
To conclude, there have been significant developments in women’s rights. However, further efforts are needed in order Turkey to reach the level of a developed country. Turkey must demonstrate respect for women’s rights not just on paper, but in practice too. Until now the opportunities look very nice and show rather an optimistic view of Turkish reality. http://seedstheatre.org/women-in-turkey/
