Patriarchical structure of Turkish politics keeps women out
Written by Tuncay Kayaoğlu March, 05, 2014. Nurten Ertugrul had spent days and nights to convince voters for the ruling AK Party’s mayor candidate in Bingol, a city in Eastern Turkey. Those rough days paid off: AK Party’s candidate Yucel Barakazi reelected as mayor with 58 percent of votes and Ertugrul received a seat for the city council. Her hope to be Barakazi’s deputy was dashed, allegedly, on the grounds that Islam and Turkish customs do not allow women to perform such leadership roles. She offers a different interpretation: “Male politicians do not want to see successful and critical women around them.” Her story more or less illustrates one of the obstacles before more women participation in politics: Patriarchical structure of Turkish politics. This structure is powerful informal impediment for female politicians. On the paper everything seems to assure gender equality in politics. There is no legal obstacle before women participation into politics. ...
