Turkish Women’s Social Practices and Political Views : A sociological approach

Abstract

The end of the second world war rendered women more visible in society as a result of questioning meta-narratives imposed by the thinkers of enlightened and reason era. Studies on women in Turkey have been quite prolific lately. However, more thorough and detailed descriptions need to be provided to understand social practices of women so that important issues and problems can be better understood. This study focused on four women living in the south of Turkey. The study was a case study based on semi-structured interviews, direct and indirect observations, journals and field notes. The elements of the study were composed of daily routines, social practices, political views and general views about children, education, gender, city, neighbors, neighborhood and work.

The results of the study show that the participants had differing views about conceptualization of the elements. They also developed a critical perspective towards their current situation and constructed ideal representations. In addition, they stated that their political views also affected their positioning in the society. All of them emphasized that inequality was the prevalent problem that they experienced because dominance of masculinity was perceived as a pivotal problem form their perspective. Although two participants were working as civil servants, they noted that they found themselves at a disadvantage and had extra burdens at home. All of the participants also mentioned gender discrimination both at home and at work.