Europe | Turkey | Activism

International Women’s Day Rally in Turkey Turns Violent

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Turkish police on Sunday briefly detained at least one woman and fired rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of hundreds of people trying to mark International Women's Day in central Istanbul. The group, which gathered two days before official Women's Day commemorations on March 8 in order to draw more supporters on a Sunday, had ignored a ban on the march by the Istanbul governor who scrapped this year's rally, citing security concerns. They were seeking to draw attention to women's issues in Turkey, which ranks 77th out of 138 countries on a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ind
Europe | Turkey | Politics

Turkish campaigners dismayed at sharp fall in women MPs

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Turkey's parliament lost more than a fifth of its female deputies in Sunday's election, fuelling activists' concerns about women's rights as President Tayyip Erdogan strengthens his grip on power. Women's groups and opposition politicians have criticized Erdogan, a devout Muslim, for condemning abortion, calling birth control "treason", and telling women they should have at least three children. His AK Party won just under 50 percent of the vote, far exceeding the expectations even of party insiders and giving it a clear majority of around 317 seats in the 550-seat parliament. But uno
Europe | Turkey | Culture

Gender inequality remains high in Turkey, according to study

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A recent study conducted by academics from the Gender and Women's Studies Research Center at Kadir Has University has reported that 71.2 percent of participants believe there is no gender equality in Turkey. The study, titled "Social Gender and Women Perception in Turkey", was conducted in April 2015 in 26 cities with 1,000 participants, 50.3 percent female and 49.7 percent males. Although 66.9 percent of all participants state that women and men are not provided with equal opportunities in their job search and 81 percent state that equal salary for the same job is necessary, 42.7 percen