In 1926, the Turkish Civil Code was adopted and women were acknowledged as equals of men before the law. In 1934, women were given the right to vote and stand for election. Turkey was the 13th country among 35 others in the women’s suffrage movement, yet a study by the World Economic Forum indicates that Turkey’s global gender gap index was 130 out of 144 countries in 2016. Gender equality is an essential part of human rights and Turkey is regressing day by day with invisible barriers in politics, which prevent women from reaching their absolute potentials.
Gender inequality has risen in Turkish politics and women are unable to practice rights which are birth rights, because different rules apply to women. For instance, women who are appointed by political parties as representatives, are women who usually are not trained in parties, who have not been executives in women’s branches, and
Then the government should ensure that gender equality is included in policies of all public institutions. Public institutions should develop measures which will aim to promote gender equality and they should find a dimension to help women participate in national and local politics (“Gender”). Foundations and institutions should help strengthen women’s political leadership and increase the number of women which get elected to political positions.
In the 1990s, women were more active in politics than they are today. Maybe this has happened due to modernization, or maybe because the traditional social structure has lost its power compared to the 90s. Although women are more active in politics, they are only figuratively equal. Women vote to fulfill their responsibilities as citizens but they do not make the decisions, they are not yet allowed to be the leaders. It is a dark period for Turkish women, and many wonder if women will be able to protect natural rights as women’s rights regress in