Turkish Women: Past, Present and the Future

by Pinar Keskinocak and Nurca Yener

Halide Edib, a Turkish woman in her late twenties and mother of two, divorced her husband, a famous mathematics professor, because she rejected his taking a second wife. This was a very courageous act back in 1910 during the time of the Ottoman Empire, when men were allowed to marry more than one woman and when the social and legal equality of men and women was still a distant dream in the Turkish society.

Much has changed since then, thanks to Halide Edib and other leaders of the women's emancipation movement in Turkey. This year, more than 30 million Turkish women will once again join women from all around the world as they celebrate March 8, the International Women's Day, to acknowledge their struggle and accomplishments on the road to improved lives and equality.

Turkish people, both women and men, sure have a lot to celebrate. Today, literacy and professional-employment rates for Turkish women are higher than anywhere else in the Middle East and compare well against even the developed countries in Europe and America. In the fields of architecture, science, medicine, pharmacy and law, at least one out of three employed is a woman. In colleges women constitute about 35 percent of the faculty. Almost 40 percent of all young traders at the Istanbul Stock Exchange are women. Even in the technical world of engineering, with a participation level of 12 percent, Turkish women are slightly ahead of their American counterparts. Moreover, Turkey has an expanding list of women writers, actors, artists and musicians with international acclaim, such as the first woman ceramics professor Jale Yilmabasar and the opera diva Leyla Gencer.

The positive changes in the status of Turkish women started as early as in 1857 with the new law that gave male and female children equal rights of inheritance. Also in the second half of the nineteenth century, the first midwifery school opened its doors and junior high schools for girls were established. Further education reforms allowed the opening of trade schools, teachers' training schools and the first institute of higher learning for women. The start of the "Turk Ocagi" (Turkish Hearth) clubs in 1912 helped to raise Turkish educational standards and encouraged social and economic progress. This program, in which Halide Edib also played a major role, included public lectures attended by men and women together, a great social innovation for the time. Soon, women columnists began appearing in newspapers and magazines, and numerous women's organizations were started including the "Society for the Elevation of Women" established by Halide Edib, who around this time had also published her famous novel Handan ("Family") about the problems of an educated woman. Finally, in 1917, a decree was issued granting women the right to initiate divorce proceedings and the right to refuse a polygamous marriage.

Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire and its allies during World War I, the attempt of the victorious allies to control the Anatolian territory led to the Turkish War of Independence. During the four years of this epic war, women fought with ardor for their national liberation alongside the men, not just by providing support for the battle front, but also taking such roles as press advisor, interpreter and spokesperson. There are countless documents today that convey the tremendous contribution of women during this great war, which ended with victory in 1923.

After the foundation of the Turkish Republic, which celebrated its 75th anniversary last October, rapid and significant progress was made on women's rights, with great support from Ataturk, the founder and the first president of the republic. Ataturk had abiding faith in the vital importance of women in society and launched many reforms to change the religious-based social and legal structures of the former Ottoman Empire. Within the first three years of the young republic, passage of the law on the unification of the educational system, on general apparel and the civil code were all major steps in giving women greater freedom and opportunities in society. Primary education became free and compulsory for both men and women, further leveling the playing field between the sexes. They became equal in the eyes of the law on matters concerning marriage, divorce, guardianship and inheritance. Furthermore, the 1934 law granting Turkish women the right to elect and be elected to the national assembly gave them a higher status than was enjoyed by women in many other countries at the time. In comparison, French women gained the same rights in 1944, Italian women in 1945 and the Swiss in 1971. Halide Edib, then a professor of English literature at Istanbul University and married to politician Dr. Adnan Adivar, became one of the earlier members of the Turkish parliament. More recently, Turkey became one of only a few countries in the world to have a woman serve as a prime minister.

Despite all the rights gained by law and the rosy pictures from public and professional life, Turkish women still face a long road in terms of closing the disparity with men and leading improved and more fulfilled lives. There are thousands of Turkish women who are denied education among other basic rights. Illiteracy remains a major problem, with a rate of nearly 30 percent for women, which is almost three times higher than the rate for men. Even though overall female participation rate in the labor force is 35 percent (less than 20 percent in the cities), lagging slightly behind the United States, three out of every four women in the work force work in agriculture as unpaid family workers with no social security coverage. Close to 30 percent of the Turkish women are beaten up severely, many of them constantly, by their husbands or other members of their families. The representation of women in the national assembly today is less than three percent.

Tradition dies hard, and attitudes of the common people, despite rights by law, sometimes pose the biggest obstacle in the way. On the bright side, an increasing number of both governmental and volunteer-supported organizations and networks are taking the lead to create awareness as well as formulate solutions. Of these, the Directorate General on the Status of and Problems of Women (http://www.kssgm.gov.tr), which is established in 1990 and attached to the Ministry of State for Women's Affairs and Social Services, formulates policies in line with the provisions of the 1986 Convention on the elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAR) and the 1989 European Social Charter. "The National Action Plan of Turkey", prepared in the light of the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing (1995), declared women's education, training, health and their fight against domestic violence as its top critical areas of concern to take action. Turkey sent a large delegation, 31 people, to Beijing and was one of the four major sponsors of the Peace Train, a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) project featuring on-board training for women facing the challenges of democratization and economic liberation. Another major initiative, "The National Program for the Enhancement of Women's Integration in Development", also supported by UNDP, was established in 1992 and has been active in the areas of training, research, statistical publications, and pilot projects aiming at generating income for women. The program has been so successful since its inception that UNDP uses it as a model for other countries in similar positions. Among its numerous accomplishments is the establishment of research centers in four universities, one of which also offers a graduate program. Among volunteer organizations, the Foundation for Women's Solidarity aims at raising public awareness about and fighting against violence towards women; the Association for Supporting and Educating Women Candidates works towards increasing the involvement of Turkish women in politics and their representation in the national assembly; and the Association for Supporting Contemporary Life organizes ongoing projects to improve the education, skills and social status of Turkish women.

Certainly there is a lot to be done for women in Turkey and achievement will come neither easily nor soon. Halide Edib Adivar's many faceted examination of Turkish women, their roles, rights, and dilemmas, continues to still maintain its validity today. Like the heroines of her novels, Turkish women, with strong personalities and combining the traits of both western and Turkish cultures, proudly hold hands with women of all nations to celebrate the history, the present and the brighter future of women everywhere.


Sema Karaoglu