Changing in Women’ Statue

                             

 Analyzing the position of the women in Turkish history, an awful situation has been seen until the foundation of Turkish Republic. The main reason of awful condition was the place of women in Islamic traditions. According to these traditional rules, women were in the second phase of the society after men. There are some differences about women’ social and political statue since the establishment of Turkish Republic. 

By the foundation of Turkish republic, many critical changes are appeared about the place of women in society. In 1923, Turkish women engaged in politics at the same year, Turkish women want to have the first women party “Kadınlar Halk Fırkası” with presidential of “Nezihe Muhittin”. However; they could not get consent for establishing of the party because of the rule established in 1909 that was about the right of election which repudiates the women’ rights to vote, enterprising of establishment of the party was ended. This attempt was changed by a corporation.

At the years ahead, Tevhid-i Tedrisat law was announced with the proclamation of girls began to have the same right with boys in education on 3 March 1924. Men’ polygamy and the divorce law both were abolished and  were given right of divorce to women, right for guardianship were all accepted with the proclamation of Turkish Civil Law on 17 January 1926.

 By the year 1930 is a significant history for Turkish women because Turkish women had the right to choose and to be chosen in elections. In 1930, women gained the right to participate in municipal statues. With the national elections, Turkish women entered parliament in 1934; one year later ending of Grand National Assembly of Turkey’s fifth period, seventeen woman deputies entered the Parliament. At 1936 with proclamation of business Law were rearranged for business and working conditions of women. One year later, women’s work under dangerous and difficult conditions were forbidden with contract of ILO.

After the death of M. K. Atatürk, there have not been effective developments about women rights in Turkey. This situation continued until 1990s. History of the Republic of Turkey a woman took place in parliament as a president for the first time. Turkey’ first woman president Tansu Çiler established the government on 25 June 1993. Although half of the population was women, there was not nearly any influence of them in the parliament. Women deputies were half of the amount of men deputies. Furthermore, social assistant services began to establish such as Mor Çatı Foundation established at 1995 for giving assistance to helpless women who want to escape violence and suffering from many reasons. In the same year, Government Statistic Institute of Turkey estimated that there were 36 million women and 37 million men. For this year life expectation from birth was 71.3 for women. By the year 2030, it will increase till 76 and women’ quantity will pass men’s quantity. There will be fourty six million eight thousand and fifty-four women and forty six million eight thousand and forty-one men.

With the proclamation of Turkish Civil Law at 1997, women’s right for having her own surname with her husband’s surname within the marriage is accepted. The law which includes eight years for compulsory education was constituted at 1997. For families’ right and protecting them from violence ‘Law about protecting family’ was accepted at 1998.

 To sum up, although there are still some restrictions for women in the society, we see developments about regulating women rights in Turkish Republic’s political history. We will also see many changes and developments in this concept, in future.