28 September 2006
Dear LWV and friends,
My name is Ishanaa Rambachan and I am a junior political science and economics major at St. Olaf. I joined the Northfield League after attending the annual Leaders of Today and Tomorrow conference my freshman year.
This semester, I am enrolled in the Term in the Middle East, a five-month introduction to the politics, history and cultural composition of Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Greece. I now find myself somewhere between Istanbul and Casablanca, en route to Fez, the most religious city of Morocco and our soon-to-be home.
Over the past few years, I have developed a deep interest in gender studies and, more specifically, the status of women in the developing world. To continue my League involvement while abroad, I thought it would be interesting to somehow catalog the journeys of women in these areas of the world.
At the most, this could foster greater League involvement globally and serve as a catalyst for future action. At the least, these columns could provide some light coffee break entertainment or lunchroom fodder. I intend to submit one entry from each country I visit. Please accept my entries as a humble contribution to the wealth of League literature and feel free to email me with any questions or comments.
Istanbul is truly a city of juxtaposition. It rests between Europe and Asia. Turkey is a secular country in law and a Muslim country in spirit; here I have witnessed local women dressed in full burkas walking arm-in-arm with women in miniskirts. We have walked through anti-Bush protests en route to Akmarkez- a glitzy Western shopping mall. Riot police equipped with teargas and machine guns line every street, while the peaceful Muslim call to prayer sounds in the background. Every night we dine on traditional ekmek (bread) and simple tomatoes and yogurt next to the Burger Kings and Arbys. The twelfth most expensive city in the world, Istanbul is a sharp contrast to the eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. Istanbul resembles Rome or Paris, while much of the rural eastern region mirrors the Indian countryside. As the slogan reads, Turkey is a country where east truly meets west.
The status of women in Turkey also holds many contradictions. Under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's platform of secularization, women received the right to vote and stand for office in 1934. By 1935, several women served in parliament. Revolutionary within the Islamic world, Turkish enfranchisement of women preceded that of several Western European states. Within a few decades, Turkey became one of the first nations in the modern era with a female head of state.
While emancipated politically, women remained socially restricted for decades. An antiquated civil code rendered the husband head of the family and awarded him full property rights. In 2002, the code was liberalized under intense lobbying by feminist activists and EU accession reform. Women were granted the right to divorce, custody of children, and a more just property rights regime. As a result, there is a high labor force participation of women, particularly in the professional sector. In fact, thirty five percent of all in academia are female, the highest ratio in Europe.
This rosy empowerment of women, however, is limited to the urban dwellers and the upper class. The status of Turkish women is largely dependent on transcendent socioeconomic and geographic cleavages. In the impoverished Eastern Anatolia region, women stay in the home and are frequently victim to child marriages. Women vote according to the husband's or clan's wishes, if at all. Nationwide, twenty percent of women are illiterate compared to eight percent of men. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism has also stymied further empowerment. Since the advent of the reigning Justice and Development Party, there has been a decline of women in parliament, with only four percent of seats held by women today. The headscarf has returned as a pervasive symbol, evidenced by daily debates in the newspapers.
The rise of feminist NGOs and international attention provides hope for future progress. Increased awareness and activism from the United States is needed.
Gule Gule from Turkiye!
Ishanaa
