Some of you will have seen the
photographs I posted on Facebook showing women in the early days of the Turkish
Republic (1920s and 1930s). I loved
these pictures of pioneering female doctors, engineers, sportswomen and
politicians but it is hard not to feel depressed by the seeming lack of
progress in the century since (well almost a century!)
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| Keriman Halis - Miss Turkey and Miss World 1934 |
Ataturk said: “Society
consists of two sexes. Can it be possible that a mass is improved by the
improvement of only one part, while the other is ignored? Is it possible that
if half of a mass is tied to earth with chains, the other half can soar into
skies?”
He admired the courage of the Turkish women who had
voluntarily helped in the fight for independence and he believed in the
importance of gender equality and the emancipation of women in all spheres of
life. And remember this was in the
1920s when women in much of Europe still did not have equal rights.
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| Turkish women during the Independence war |
Among the major political,
legal, social and economic reforms that he implemented to transform the young
Republic of Turkey into a modern, democratic and secular state were many that
directly affected the position of women in society.
Polygamy was banned and
divorce and inheritance rights were made equal.
The veil was not actually banned (unlike the fez for men) but women were
encouraged to dress in a modern manner without covering their heads. A unified education system offered education
to girls and allowed them to teach in girls’ schools and in mixed primary and
middle schools. They could take up
careers in law, medicine and public services.
Women were granted
the right to vote and be elected at local level in 1930 and at the national
level in 1934 (before France,
Italy and Japan, for example). In that
first election, 18 women won places in parliament.
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| Turkish women campaigning |
Women also began to
shine in other fields. The Turkish
Republic gave the world its first female Supreme Court judge. One of Ataturk’s
adopted daughters, Sabiha Gokcen, became the world’s first female fighter pilot
(Guinness World Records approved!) – hence the name of the second airport in
Istanbul.
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| Sabiha Gokcen |
So what has happened
since then? How come the status of women
in some parts of Turkey is still so shameful, with domestic abuse common and even
honour killings still occurring?
In the last week the
news has been full of the story of a 14-year-old girl found after disappearing
for 85 days. It turns out that in two
villages in the Izmir region – an area known for its enlightened views – there is
a tradition of kidnapping underage girls.
The girls are persuaded to marry boys they have grown up with (under the
threat that nobody else will have them) and families are paid to keep quiet. Disgustingly, the amount of money paid increases
with the decreasing age of the girl - the youngest being just 12 years old. Every
year around 20 girls suffer this fate.
The biggest problem
is that while you can alter laws, it is harder to change traditional attitudes
and social practices. The only cure for
this sort of ignorance is education and it takes time. The Turkish Republic is a relatively young
country and it is still finding its way.
I really hope that it remembers Ataturk’s ideas about the role of women
in society:
“I am convinced that the exercise of social and
political rights by women is necessary for mankind’s happiness and pride.”
Ataturk’s message to the International Women’s
congress meeting in Istanbul, April 22, 1935
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| 'Modern' Turkish Women 1934 |
