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Conclusion

Conclusion

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15 views6 pages

Conclusion

Conclusion

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Mux ITLinks
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Chapter no: 6

Conclusion
Neither the modernly-dressed non-headscarves republican Turkish woman, nor the
“Islamist” headscarves women are devoid of moral notions of femininity. Although they
might seem contradictory, constructions of the Republican woman and of the headscarves
woman are embedded in the same heterosexual matrix that ascribes women with
traditional roles of femininity, sexual modesty, and honor. Starting as early as the 1960s,
and becoming more persistent into the 1980s, headscarf debates in Turkey have put
women’s bodies and sexualities under public and political spotlight. Through the
headscarf debates, each discourse’s idealized image and sexual construction of women’s
bodies have been further polarized. These debates actively engaged female sexuality and
honor, and thus made them matters of everyday discussion and banal aspects of the social
dynamic of Turkish society. The increasing number of cases of domestic violence and
honor crimes cannot be considered in isolation from the political discourses that reify
codes of female sexuality and honor, even when no concrete or direct correlation can be
made.

A great leader, reformer and a brilliant statesman, Kemal Ataturk converted a


theocratic, backward and illiterate Islamic society into a modern, secular, and progressive
new nation: the Turkish Republic. Ataturk’s primary goal of “elevating people to the
level of contemporary civilization” was a dynamic, non-ending objective and process. He
believed that civilization was universal in which all nations participated, and it was
dynamic. Modern education and science, and intellect and rational thinking were the
elements of contemporary civilization. These would set aside religious disagreements and
conflicts, and bring peace and continuous progress to the world. Secularism, therefore,
was essential to eliminate the influence of religion and dogma, on education and state
affairs. Similarly, democracy, the rule of people, would assure individual freedoms and
liberty, and people’s own participation in the nation’s governance.

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In many ways, the Turkish Republic still is one of the few shining lights in the
Middle East. One can only judge the success of a country’s regime by looking at the
progress it has made over the years and by comparing it to the other countries that are
similarly situated. 90 years after Ataturk’s reforms, Turkey stands out, among the fifty
plus (50+) majority- Muslim countries, as a “success story” with its record in
development and progress, and in gender equality and women’s rights. Before Ataturk’s
reforms, the Turkish women, who now stand on an equal legal footing with men in the
Turkish society, were kept away from schools, forced to wear veils, be servants to their
husbands, and remain in the background of all social life under the Islamic tradition and
Sharia law.

Literacy percentage among women at the Age of 6 years and above

1927-1975

Year Total Men Women


1927 10.6 17.4 4.6
1935 19.2 29.3 9.8
1940 22.4 33.9 11.2
1945 29.0 41.9 16.1
1950 32.8 45.7 19.8
1955 40.9 55.8 25.5
1960 39.5 53.6 24.8
1965 48.7 64.0 32.3
1970 54.6 68.9 40.0
1975 61.5 74.8 48.0

Given table shows that the literacy percentage among men and women increasing
year by year in 1927 the percentage of women literacy was about 4.6% only but after
eight years it was increased up-to 9.8%. In which shows that people were awaked for the

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education of women. As given here in the year of 1940 the literacy of men was reached
33.9% among with women’s education rate was rise up-to 11.2%. In which it is declare
that education rate of women was increased about 1.4% in 5 years. In 1945, 1950, 1955,
1960, 1965, 1970 and 1975 the women’s education rate was like 16.1, 19.8, 25.5, 24.8,
32.3, 40.0, and 48.0 percent accordingly. 1

Work of Ataturk for women education is also defined in this research. Education
was made free, co-educational and secular from primary school through to post-graduate
level education, and primary school was made compulsory. A particular emphasis was
put on the education of girls and women. Atatürk also did much to further women’s
rights, introducing laws that would see women enjoy rights equal to men, give them the
right to vote and to be elected to parliament. Other laws drastically reformed marriage
(abolishing polygamy) and family relations (notably equal rights for women in divorce,
custody, and inheritance). Not even clothing was exempt from his reforms – men were
banned from wearing the “fez” hat, a ban which continues to today, and wearing of the
headscarf or veils in public buildings was also banned.

Atatürk was a charismatic leader (he is my first pick and the second one is JFK)
and a comprehensive reformer, and task leading leader to his citizens through a drastic
and comprehensive program of reform to “westernize” the Republic of Turkey so that it
could hold its own among other developed nations. The central belief driving the reform
program was that Turkey would have to Westernize in order to modernize and stay
compatible woth the rest of the modern western countries. The six main principles that
underpin these reforms are referred to as “Kemalism”, and are actually written into
Turkey’s constitution: republicanism, nationalism, populism, reformism, and secularism.
Today they are still valued and treasured by most Turkish citizens. 2

Strategies that were used to empower the Turkish Women is given below:

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143
The first generation of women after the establishment of the Turkish Republic are
Generally seen as emancipated but un-liberated, and only starting with the 1980s, Turkish
women are thought of as liberated as well. The history of Turkish women’s liberalization
should not be confined to collectively organized struggles in the public sphere but should
also include the freedoms gained by individual women’s efforts to expand their agency in
the private sphere. In line with this argument, and substantiated by the case of Nezihe
Kurtiz and the story of her confrontation with her father, I suggest that, contrary to the
established view, women’s liberation in Turkey can be traced back to a time well before
the 1980s.

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Reference:
1
Women’s Liberation in Turkey Before the 1980s: The Case of Nezihe Kurtiz
(bridgew.edu)
2
https://sites.psu.edu/global/2018/02/08/mustafa-kemal-ataturk-and-his-reforms/

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