"A Woman is Lesser" by Tuana Serter

I am a girl, a woman to be. And as far as I know; my parents were delighted when I was born; they have loved and protected me my entire life. While I was growing up, they kept telling me how precious and important I was. My mom has always told me, that I am full of potential and endless creativity. Moreover as a woman I’m blessed with a unique understanding of beauty, compassion and insight. I also grew up seeing woman who helped and empowered each other, at least in my close circle. So you must understand how shocked I was when I first started being more aware of the current situation of women in Turkey, showing that our nation is taking steps backwards. I could simply say that women are being underestimated, but that accusation would only be a scarce part of the reality. The truth is that women in Turkey are being oppressed, because that is what is convenient for the ones in power. 

At school when I was learning Turkish history, it was made clear that we fought for freedom and equality. Then when World War I and The Turkish Independence War were over we, the young Turkish nation, worked hard to change and improve under the guidance of our great leader Atatürk. This is how I learned about the laws and reforms that were made to preserve women’s rights and remove any obstacles in our way. Thanks to these reforms women made a breakthrough in fields dominated by men, like Sabiha Gökçen who became the first ever female combat pilot in 1920. Afife Jale, who dared appear on stage also in 1920 when non-Muslim women were not allowed to perform publicly, and precipitated the lifting of the ban in 1923. Melahat Senger-Ruacan became the first Turkish female supreme-court judge back in 1945. Süreyya Ağaoğlu was the first female lawyer, since 1927. The ones in power then, knew that real improvement could only be made if both sexes had the equal rights to reach their full potential in every field, thus they could work towards the greater good. However the ones in power now; whether they are individuals with political, religious, economic or social influence are more concerned with their own benefits and are desperate enough to shape a whole country to their desire. 

That is the reason why the percentage of working women in Turkey is 33, 7 and for men it is 72, 1. Statistics show that working women support childcare, healthcare, and community services more than men. What does that mean? It means less money laundering, less bribing, less unnecessary personal expenses such as a third car or a fourth house; and more charity donations, a bigger budget for public needs like schools, hospitals etc. But since the ones in power don’t care for that, women are encouraged to stay home and only act as ‘caretakers’ for their children and/or spouses. 

The brainwashing starts from a young age for girls. Their fathers and mothers, who are influenced by prominent figures in society, teach them that their capacity and opportunities are less, thus they must either be perfect at what they do or give up entirely. As Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code, says “Women have been socialized to aspire perfection and are overly cautious.” Consequently statistics show that women apply for jobs where they meet the qualifications one hundred percent, while men apply for jobs where they meet only sixty percent. As if that is not enough girls are discouraged by making their lives ten times harder; they are given the same working position as men but for less payment, their voices and ideas are ignored in the meeting rooms and they are objectified and harassed in the workplace. 

In a more personal way women in Turkey are restricted by religious rules, that are not necessarily part of Islam but interpreted by conservative men, such as not being able to stay in the same room as men, not being able to go out on their own, having to cover themselves completely and try not to be noticed by anyone etc. And if disobedient they are shamed, threatened or killed in the name of ‘honor’. 

In conclusion we must break the cycle of trauma passed down from generation to generation. Women in Turkey should wake up and realize that they are being manipulated into believing that they are less valuable. They must unite and break free.