Women's organizations in 1990s Turkey: predicaments and prospects

This article analyzes the nature and the structure of womens organizations in 1990s Turkey. It surveys womens organizations and attempts to position them in their national and international political contexts by reviewing the types of gender need addressed by them. It also positions womens organizations by grouping them according to their larger historical and political agendas within the country. Womens organizations are defined as organizations whose founders and beneficiaries are women. Womens agency through collective action in the form of womens organizations is crucial in transforming the politics of gender in Turkey. Looking at the predicament and prospects of these womens organizations provides an important insight into the changing gender politics in the country. (excerpt)