Engendering democracy in Turkey: The efforts of women's organizations and gendered outcomes (original) (raw)
In analyzing women’s roles in democratization processes, the gender and transition literature focuses on women’s activism before and during the transition of an authoritarian regime towards a democratic one. When it comes to the post-transitional phase; i.e. the consolidation of democracy, the literature usually shifts its focus on the participation of women in formal political institutions to see if the goals of women’s activism have been realized in the newly democratized regime. Although the participation of women in the formal political arena is important for influencing the laws, regulations and policies regarding women’s rights and gender equality, substantial changes in women’s rights regime depend heavily on the vitality of women’s civil societal organizations (CSOs) who can monitor state’s policies on women, point to shortcomings in laws, pressure for gender-sensitive institutional changes and continue to raise public awareness on women’s rights. Employing the case of Turkey’s democratic consolidation process, the paper examines the agency of organized women under the rule of the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP). Drawing upon the information gathered from in-depth interviews, document analysis and academic surveys on violence against women, women’s rights and discrimination against women, the paper first presents the activities of four groups of women’s CSOs in Turkey- feminist, Kurdish, Islamist and Kemalist women’s CSOs. It then outlines their participation in political decision making processes regarding the aforementioned three issue areas and how the AKP government responds to the demands of women’s CSOs. Thereby, the paper discusses the challenges and barriers women’s CSOs confront in policy making processes. Drawing on findings, the paper critically discusses the role of women’s CSOs in the democratic consolidation process in Turkey. It concludes that increased civic and political participation of organized women have engendered Turkish democracy.
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