Expanding gender accountability? Women’s organizations and the state in turkey

In the 1980s and 1990s, a women’s movement has arisen and begun to mature in Turkey. Women’s organizations representing diverse positions and missions have begun to engage in a dialogue with each other, as well as with the Turkish state, especially with the National Women’s Machinery: “Directorate General on the Status and Problems of Women”. This article explores the reasons for the above developments through an examination of a) the influence of the international women’s rights regime and gender sensitive donor programs, and b) increased openness and diversity within Turkish society. We reach the conclusion that even though these changes are limited, they have important implications, heralding an increased tolerance for compromise on the part of the Turkish state, and a readiness to overcome the traditional dichotomous view of the state (expecting all services from the state or staying completely away from the state) on the part of the women’s organizations. This process has further been legitimized and supported by the international women’s rights regime, whose norms and principles are embodied in many international conference documents and conventions.