Turkish women are on the street protesting as never before as the fight to preserve Turkey's secular status gives them a louder political voice that could translate into parliamentary seats in this summer's elections.
Several of Turkey's NGO's gathered to discuss strategies for penetrating ‘the old boys network' of Turkey's parliament yesterday, just a month before Turkey's general elections.
Informal economy negatively affects the participation of women in labor force. 66 percent of women work unregistered, stated Nimet Çubukçu, State Minister for Women and Family Affairs yesterday in Istanbul
On July 2nd, ESI Analyst and TPQ Editor Nigar Göksel chaired a roundtable meeting organized by the ARI Movement in Istanbul's Bilgi University on women in Turkey with former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as guest speaker.
Seventy years ago, Turkey was one of the first countries to give women the vote. Seven decades later, there is only one woman in Turkey's 20-member parliament. From Istanbul, Dorian Jones reports on a new initiative to build women's political power.
Female representation in the newly elected parliament is at its highest level in the history of the Turkish republic with 50 female deputies, thanks to campaigns to raise awareness on the subject.The former parliament had only 24 female deputies, 4.4 percent of the total.
Women's groups in Turkey have condemned a new draft constitution, saying it sets the country back years in terms of gender equality. The document describes women as a vulnerable group needing protection.
The Women's Media Watch Group (MEDİZ), which is fighting to end sexism in the Turkish media, has published a book suggesting an organized struggle for the protection and enhancing of women's rights in the Turkish media.
The Turkish Coordination of the European Women's Lobby, or EWL, initiated the campaign within the frame of “50/50 Campaign for Democracy,” launched Sept. 16 by the EWL in order to increase women's presence in politics.