| dc.description.abstract | The Republic of Turkey has got exceptional and unique experience on the status of women and
the studies performed in order to empower women in the society. It is possible to see the
reflections of this historical experience in all the decisions taken and policies pursued today in
relation to the advancement and empowerment of women.
Among the reforms which were realized in the years following the establishment of the
Republic of Turkey in 1923, two are the most prominent ones: the Law on Unity of Education
in 1924, which enabled women to have equal education opportunities with men by gathering
education under one system; and the Turkish Civil Code, adopted in 1926, which provided
equal rights for women both within the family and as an individual by completely changing the
legal status of women.
In addition to these, another significant stage in equalizing the legal status of women with men
is the gaining of political rights. Turkish women were entitled with the right to elect and be
elected in local elections in 1930 and in the general elections in 1934, earlier than many of the
Western countries.
Activities are continued in our national legislation, based on the UN Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) notably and the
provisions of “the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence
against Women and Domestic Violence”, the European Social Charter, the Convention on the
Rights of the Child, the decisions and recommendations of organizations such as the EU, ILO,
OECD, OSCE, Action Program of the 4th World Conference on Women and Beijing
Declaration, and the Action Plan of Cairo International Conference on Population and
Development.
In line with the “Regulations that improve the flexibility of the labour market, increased child
care services and education opportunities and increased employment-oriented policies will
enhance women's competencies in the labour market and support their more intensive
participation in business life. Women's participation in the workforce with better jobs will
contribute directly to savings by increasing household income and improving financing
opportunities for investments” policy included in the 11th Development Plan of Turkey, it is
aimed to raise awareness on balancing work and family life and to increase women’s knowledge
and awareness on financial literacy.
In addition, it is aimed to protect family and women's rights by including “Formal and nonformal education activities will be organized in order to raise awareness starting from early
childhood in order to eliminate negative attitudes and behaviors that cause and reinforce
domestic violence.” “Active participation of women in economic, social, cultural life and
decision-making at all levels will be encouraged, especially starting from the local level, in
order to strengthen equal opportunity for men and women.” and “Efforts to raise awareness
towards the prevention of violence against women, early marriages and all kinds of abuse will
be accelerated and the effectiveness and capacity of protective and preventive services will be
increased” policies.
General Directorate on the Status of Women (GDSW), which was established as a national
mechanism in order to enable women to participate in a more active, productive and strong
manner in all areas of social life in Turkey; to enable women to benefit equally from all the
rights and opportunities; and to prevent discrimination against women, was reorganized as a
branch of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services with the Presidential Decree No.1.
The General Directorate, which undertook the duty of conducting and coordinating protective,
preventive, instructive, constructive and rehabilitative social services, maintains its activities in
an active and productive manner. | en_US |
