Hello Everyone,

I am aware that I may be posting on a topic that´s been explored before, but I was wondering what is the role of women in today´s society in Turkey.

How are women expected to behave today in Turkey? Are there several different ways in which women should be behaving depending on thier upbringing, level of education, etc.....
Are there differences in behavior between cities and more remote, rural areas?
Are women able to get the same education as men?
Is equality between men and women (both at work and in daily life) common, or not?
Are differences between social classes strongly felt, and if so, possible reasons?

These are some of the questions that sprung to my mind as I was reading a short text (in my method to learn turkish) about a jealous husband ´kıskanç koca´.

Thank you in advance for any insight.

There is a large difference between men and women in Turkey, but perhaps an even larger difference between women in Turkey. You can see that for example by the amount of girls who get married very young (also posted on this forum) but there are also examples of very succesfull business women in Turkey.

I have met women who have a similar life to mine. Finishing university, getting a high degree, and a good job. They are independent, highly educated, they know what they want and have a supportive family who will try to help them in any way they can to reach those goals.

I have also met women who had a life completely foreign to me. A girl married at 16, mother of two at the age of 19. Barely able to read and write because her parents only let her go to school for a very short period of time. The parents saw school as something bad for girls, since it would lead to her not wearing a headscarf, not listening to a husband when she would grow up, etc. This view is held by a large junk of people in Turkey. This woman was younger then me, but she led a life very closed off from society. She was very dependent on her husband, and only left the house to work on farm-fields. I remember that I wanted to smack her young son (5 years old) across the face, because he called his mother indicent. His mother stepped into a taxi in the front seat... yes, very indecent, because a married woman should never sit next to a taxi-driver in the front.

Turkey is a very complicated country, and the position of women is also very complicated. With the recent government, the position of women also has changed. Some research has shown that the current government isn´t that open to letting women be part of their ranks.

By the way... you don´t WANT to know how many times I heard a guy say that he´s okay with women working, but saying with the same breath that he would not allow his wife to leave the home without him. Ofcourse not because he didn´t trust his wife, but because of all the evil men out there. My argument that you need to teach the men to stop being a-holes, and not punish women for faulty behaviour of men, doesn´t really get much positive feedback.

There are few types of Turkish man.  One is moderm, other is brought up in a very traditional way.  My husband is as the second type.  I have to listen to him no matter his theory is right or wrong.  Even if he is wrong, I should never talk back.  Sometimes, I don´t know what is right and what is wrong anymore.  I am a well educated woman, grown up in a western world where women are trained to be independent.  I was trained to express our thought, but this doesn´t work in our marriage.  To be a wife, I ought to listen to my husband, as he is the head of the family.  Not allow to speak to other man or even woman who is not our friend.  When he speaks, I have to listen.....then, even i have any disagree, do not express my feelings.  So possibly, for some of the turkish man, uneducated woman is their ideal wife.  But, I still love my husband very much.

What I see is (this is what I see, not a comment) new generation is living more secular in Turkiye, they are wearing western clothes, they are open to change and they are able to leave their families in university term and able to live in different cities.

So, new generation of women is going to be in western-mentality. This is what I see.

Women come into prominence day by day in Turkiye; both in modern and conservative views. AKP is known conservative and Islamic-rooted but they had established activity groups for women in party. AKP has got thousands of woman members all around the Turkiye. Same for CHP; modern and secular based nationalist party.

Turkiye is a country which is becoming modern day by day and that´s why women must have more roles in Turkish society. You can see women of every profession in Turkiye; police, doctor, security guard, teacher, news-announcer, in banks, etc; lot of them are wearing western style and seperating religional activities from their jobs.

This my observation.

thx

turkishcobra //

 A little girl of 13 who was hospitilised with some symptoms was found to be pregnant for 7 months. The hospital reported the case to the Police and after an investigation it was found that the little girl was sold by her uncle for 18000 TL 9 months ago after the death of her father to the man she was living together.

Quote from: here

I feel like throwing up when I see fathers, uncles selling little girls to old men as a source of income!

So sad.. truly tragic.. (( Unfortunately, the mentality of men that women are property, not people takes on many shapes and forms..

P.S. si++ why did you post negative news about Turkey, you traitor!?

hah? You can be sure that this thing happens frequently. So why not?

Quoting si++

 

Quoting barba_mama

There is a large difference between men and women in Turkey, but perhaps an even larger difference between women in Turkey. You can see that for example by the amount of girls who get married very young (also posted on this forum) but there are also examples of very succesfull business women in Turkey.

I have just read a news for an example of this and would like to share it here.

 A little girl of 13 who was hospitilised with some symptoms was found to be pregnant for 7 months. The hospital reported the case to the Police and after an investigation it was found that the little girl was sold by her uncle for 18000 TL 9 months ago after the death of her father to the man she was living together.

 

Quote from: here

This is heartbreaking