In moderation of Dimitris Tsarouhas, the third episode of ELIAMEP-Medyascope Media Series focused on “The Role of Women in Turkey’s Public Life” with the guests being Nilgün Arısan Eralp, Dr. Leyla Şen and Dr. Alice Evans.
The third of seven-episode ELIMED webinar series, which is a media and information project presented by Center for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) and supported by Mercator Foundation and German Federal Foreign Ministry, took place on 7th June.
Dimitris Tsarouhas who is Visiting Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science, Virginia Tech, and Associate Professor at the Department of International Relations at Bilkent University, gave the stage to Nilgün Arısan Eralp after sharing some statistical information regarding Turkey’s ranking on gender equality. He said that Turkey was the lowest-ranking country among OECD members in 2019.
Nilgün Arısan Eralp, Director of the Center for EU Studies at TEPAV, pointed out to the deterioriation of women’s participation in civic life in Turkey, arguing that the country’s increasing authoritarianism is the main reason behind this trend.
Development Specialist Dr. Leyla Şen, who’s been observing the field through her work in cooperatives, underlined the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on feminisation of poverty in Turkey. She also shared her optimism about gender equality in Turkey in the future, noting that women are in considerable desire to have a dignified life.
Reminding that female employment has increased in Turkey when the country had experienced a labour-intensive economic growth, Dr. Alice Evans thinks the pandemic isn’t the only major reason behind decreasing female employment. The lecturer from King’s College London thinks that social norms also play a significant matter on the issue.
The previous episode of ELIMED webinar series had focused on Media and Democratic Backsliding.
