Perspectives of Turkish Women


VIENNA, Virginia, February 17, 2010 – In a recent publication, “The Contrasting Perspectives of Turkish Women”, D3 Systems looks at the rights, behaviors, and attitudes of Turkish women today. The study reveals that 53% percent believe their rights under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) could not be protected and promoted under shari’a, the highest share of the female population of all countries asked in the Women In Muslim Countries (WIMC) study over the past 3 years

Shari’a is not part of the current legal system of Turkey. The separation of state and religious institutions in Turkey may make it easier for Turkish women to voice the opinion that shari’a and the rights guaranteed by CEDAW are not consistent with one another.

However, a substantial share of Turkish women (47%) believes their rights could be protected under shari’a. Education, employment, generational and modernity issues appear to influence how Turkish women perceive their rights as women and whether such a legal system would benefit them.

Education proves to be one of the strongest predictors of how Turkish women understand their rights. D3’s data suggest that the more educated a Turkish woman is, the more likely she is to believe her rights could not be protected and promoted under shari’a.

The Women In Muslim Countries (WIMC) study is conducted and managed in over 23 Muslim nations by D3 Systems, Inc. WIMC is designed to measure women’s empowerment in actual daily practice, providing a deep look into the oft-perceived gap between current public policy and empowerment initiatives and actual practice on the personal and local level. The nationwide Turkish survey consists of 1,003 Muslim women and was sponsored and completed by KA Research of Istanbul Turkey for D3 Systems, Inc. The respondents were interviewed in person, from June 12 to June 15, 2007. With 95% confidence, results from this survey can be expected to have a margin of error of ± 3 percent.