Turkish Women: on the Frontline of Democracy

In the 2015 World Economic Forum World Gender Gap Report, Turkey is the 130th country out of 145 nations, behind Qatar and Bahrain, and last in Europe and Central Asia. Despite Turkey being the world 17th economy, 15% of Turkish women are still illiterate. Seen as a threat by the paternalistic traditionalism of former prime minister and current president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who keeps pushing to relegate them at home as just wives and mothers, women have had a key role in the 2013 Gezi Park protests and beyond: more than half of the protesters facing police brutality and unlawful detentions have been and are women who are aware of their rights, intend to positively contribute to society and believe in gender equality as a fundamental tool for democratization. Almost 3 years after Gezi Park, at a time when authoritarianism is tightening in the country in the name of security against alleged terrorism, Turkish women keep being on the frontline of democracy, peacefully asking for the respect of human rights and for freedom of expression and self-determination. Their struggle is taking place at Europe’s doorstep.