Document Type : Research Paper
Author
PhD, Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Extended abstract
Introduction
The role and position of women has been a contested issue throughout history in nearly all human civilizations, and even today, despite significant advancements in human rights and cultural progress, women's issues remain central in many areas. Turkey, like other countries, has experienced various socio-political changes, during which women's roles and their position in society have been influenced, leading to fluctuations in their societal position.
Theoretical framework and methodology
This article, utilizing Almond and Verba's theory from The Civic Culture (1963), examines the changes in the cognitive, emotional, and evaluative orientations of women in contemporary Turkish history. These transformations have led to a gradual transition from a parochial political culture to a participatory one in modern Turkish society. The research employs the theoretical framework of political culture by Almond and Verba and an analytic-descriptive method to achieve this objective.
Results
It appears that with the changing structure of power elites and the onset of modernization processes in Turkish society from the 1930s and 1950s, the cognitive, emotional, and evaluative orientations of the society, particularly the middle class, towards women has shifted gradually, paving the way for greater female participation in public affairs such as politics, law, education, and the economy.
Conclusions
Although the initial changes emerged following the declaration of the republic in the form of legal and constitutional reforms, globalization of human development without gender discrimination (from the 1980s onwards) and the Eurocentric modernization of the Turkish state further facilitated the improvement of women’s status and participation in society. Over the past few decades, despite structural and agent-based obstacles, Turkish women have experienced notable growth, especially in political campaigns and elections, compared to other Islamic societies. However, Turkish women continue to face significant challenges in candidacy and holding major political offices, indicating that women's participation in politics has not reached a strategic level. Furthermore, Turkey still faces considerable challenges in fulfilling its national and international commitments to gender equality in politics, with gender-based violence remaining a critical concern. Since 2001, with the strengthening of Turkey’s EU membership process and adherence to Copenhagen criteria, numerous civil laws have been proposed and passed to consolidate the family structure, ensure gender equality in accessing political and social opportunities, and most importantly, impose legal restrictions and criminalize domestic violence against women. These measures have positively impacted the civic, legal, and political status of Turkish women. Based on the latest constitutional amendments in 2021, government centers and foundations are being established to combat violence against women, with the outcomes expected to become evident in the coming years. Nevertheless, for Turkish women to fully enjoy their political rights, political opportunities must be created more equitably, with genuine equality in access to political resources. Considering Turkey’s institutional capacity, civil society, and political party system, it appears that a comprehensive policy can develop equality in family, education, work, commercial life, and all areas of social life and challenge the value judgment that politics is solely a male endeavor. Since a society where women are absent from government administration cannot be considered democratic, Turkish women's full political rights should be ensured, and their effective political participation must be realized.
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