The Place of Turkish Women in Politics and Business

Women's participation in Turkish politics can be carried out in a variety of ways that serve many different purposes such as working in election campaigns, watching rallies, taking part in political debates, voting, taking part in individual and organizational activities, influencing political decisions, having a say in governance, and gaining political status. The same approach applies in business life.

Today, women still face a number of barriers to political participation around the world. Socioeconomic factors are seen as a barrier to women's advancement. Women can only be empowered and gain a place in politics if they participate in politics. All kinds of social obstacles can be overcome with the rise of women in politics and their becoming a part of active politics.

I believe that in order to balance the inequality between men and women in the social sphere, some positive discrimination should be provided for women. Positive discrimination on behalf of women will necessitate the restructuring of the current political and economic order to include women.

It is easier to evaluate women's representation in politics by looking at the number of women seats in parliament. When we look at the 2015 general elections in Turkey, we see that women, who constitute 50% of the population, are represented in parliament with 98 female deputies. Compared to the 2015 elections, the representation rate of women in parliament has only increased to 17.8%. In the last general election held in June 2018, out of a total of 600 deputies elected to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, only 103 women deputies found a place in parliament. Currently, the rate of women deputies in the Parliament is around 17.2 percent. It can be clearly stated that this rate is insufficient in terms of women's representation in Turkey. Interestingly, 33 provinces in Turkey have no women MPs.

Currently, the rate of women parliamentarians in the world is only 23.3 percent, which is a very limited rate. In Turkey, this rate is 6 percent below the world average. I believe that the rate of women parliamentarians in our country, where women gained the right to vote and be elected before many other countries in the world, should be well above the world average. I hope that this situation will change positively, that our women will strive for this, and that this will happen despite our male-dominated social structure. I believe that once women put their minds to it, it can be realized in a short time.

In Turkey, there are many non-governmental organizations working to increase women's participation in the political sphere and to ensure equality in democracy. KADER (Association for Supporting Women Candidates) and KADEM (Association for Women and Democracy) are among these organizations. KADER conducted a research on the representation of women in politics in March 2011. This research showed that the low representation of women in politics is not due to women's traditional family roles but rather to the fact that political parties do not provide sufficient support to women. Therefore, it was concluded that the lack of women's participation in politics is not unidirectional. In order for the Turkish political system to reach a goal in terms of positive discrimination, KADER and KADEM are constantly fighting for the implementation of the 30% gender quota, which is defined as a critical threshold all over the world, to be made compulsory for all political parties or to be enacted into law. In this way, it is believed that women will be more effective in parliament and that parliament will take more efficient and effective decisions on women's issues. 

Gender quotas can be implemented in two ways around the world. The first option is to define the quota in the constitution or in the law on political parties and elections, obliging all political parties in that country to implement gender quotas. The other option is to leave quotas to the discretion of political parties. On the other hand, parties may determine the quota limit for the number of women parliamentarians in their own statutes, or they may not find it right to take part in such a practice in the name of positive discrimination in terms of their own political ideas. In practice in Turkey, the second option seems to be the case, and there is no binding law on affirmative action for parties.

Experiences in the world and in Turkey show that the existing structure and culture in local and general assemblies and in political party management levels do not allow women to have an effective right to representation, unless there is an obligation to grant women a certain percentage of representation.

In Turkish society, despite many achievements and good practices, the activities of women and men are divided inside and outside the home. Women's social mobility is therefore to some extent restricted and controlled. Particularly in rural areas, the opportunity for men to receive better education than women is prioritized by families. In Turkish social life, there is a structure that makes women dependent on men due to the lack of resources outside the home. Therefore, in social, economic and political spheres, men have power and become the basis of power. Especially in the cities and villages of Eastern and South Eastern Anatolia, and even in the Eastern Black Sea region, the role of women in the formulation of economic and social policies is negligible. As women are kept away from decision-making bodies, they are not given enough opportunity to voice their concerns or participate in politics and business. Throughout Turkey, in the public and private sectors, the majority of managerial positions are held by men. 

According to the Turkish constitution, women have the right to political and socio-economic equality vis-à-vis men. This constitutional right must be implemented as a constitutional requirement and not according to the customs and traditions of the society. In order for women, who are considered to be the cornerstone of Turkish society, to gain power in society, women should also pursue their rights and demand their share. It is known that significant progress has been made in this regard in some regions of Western Anatolia and in major cities, particularly Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.

Turkey's women are ambitious, self-confident, visionary and successful warriors in every profession. Thanks to their infinite potential, our women are advancing in every field according to their educational abilities. However, women in Turkey struggle to find opportunities in politics and business. Women are rarely seen in the top management of large companies and/or political parties or in government, except for a few names. This situation is undoubtedly unworthy of Turkey. I believe that in the near future Turkish women will find a greater place in politics and business life, because Turkish women are really struggling successfully to reach the position they deserve in society. And they are reaping the fruits of this struggle day by day. Therefore, I believe that in the near future, the place of Turkish women in business and working life as well as in politics will be much brighter than it is today.