December 5th...
Somewhere in the world, a revolutionary woman, Olympe de Gouges, realizes that the word “man” in the Declaration of the Rights of Man really refers only to “man” and takes up the pen...
Elsewhere in the world, Atatürk granted women the right to vote and be elected in 1934, a right not yet discussed in many European countries.
Today is both International Women's Rights Day and the anniversary of Turkish women gaining the right to vote and be elected.
So today is the day to remember the debt that humanity and the Republic owe to women.
Olympe de Gouges, Woman of Revolutions and the First Declaration of Women's Rights
Olympe de Gouges.
A woman born in 1748.
In 1789, when the French Revolution proclaimed the ’Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen“, a conscience realized that women were excluded from this definition of ”human being“.
In 1791, she published the Declaration of the Rights of Women and Citizens, the first declaration of women's rights in history.
She opened the horizons not only for women but also for humanity.
But the price was heavy.
The male mind of the revolution did not tolerate criticism.
In 1793 he was guillotined.
Olympe asked the question not only of her time but also of today:
“If rights belong to humanity, why are women ignored?”
This question is still relevant in 2025.
The Republican Revolution Turkey Ahead of the World in 1934
On December 5, 1934, Turkey granted women the right to vote and be elected.
Where was the world at that time?
France: 1944
Italy: 1945
Greece: 1952
Belgium: 1960
Switzerland: 1971
So Turkey did this before many European countries.
At the time, there were 28 countries in the world that legally recognized this right, and only 17 that actually exercised it.
Turkey made history in 1934.
Today it is overshadowed by that history.
Turkey in 2025: A Country to Blush
Kadınların iş gücüne katılımı %36.
30 points behind the OECD average.
Üst düzey yöneticiler arasında kadın oranı %20 bile değil.
There is no glass ceiling in this country; there is a concrete ceiling.
Politics
Out of 600 MPs, only 121 are women.
Oran: %20.
A pioneer in 1934, Turkey today ranks 124th out of 149 countries in terms of women's political representation.
So it is not behind the world; it is far behind the world.
This is no coincidence.
This is the silent consensus of male politics.
Women's Rights under AKP Rule: Distribution of Roles, Not Rights
The AKP government's women policy is clear:
Women are not “equal citizens” but “part of the family.”
The Istanbul Convention has been abandoned.
Impunity in femicides has become routine.
Women were again the first victims of economic crises.
Even quotas to increase women's place in politics were presented as a “blessing”.
In this country, women's rights are still not a right in the eyes of the government; they are a gesture.
Situation on the CHP Front: Equality Strong in Rhetoric, Weak at the Ballot Box
The opposition wing is not very bright either.
The CHP talks about equality at every opportunity, but when it comes to the list, women again find themselves at the back of the list.
The claim for democracy in Turkey starts with internal party democracy.
Changing the color of the seat is easy; changing the color of the mindset is difficult.
The government is narrowing women's rights.
The opposition does not dare to expand it.
Conclusion.
Women are struggling for representation, caught between two sides.
December 5: Not a Celebration, but a Reminder
Today, unfortunately, is not a day of celebration.
Today is a day to remember how politics has minimized the revolutionary rights given to women by the Republic.
Women are called to the ballot box, but not to the chair.
The vote is very valuable; representation is not.
A society cannot stand up without empowering its women.
An economy cannot grow by ignoring women's labor.
A politics cannot be democratic by excluding women.
Epilogue: Courage Was Present in 1934; Missing Today
As Olympe de Gouges said on the way to the guillotine:
“Women wake up; you have rights.”
This was the spirit of December 5, 1934.
Today's politics does not even come close to that spirit.
The women of Turkey did not borrow their rights from history; they won them through struggle.
And he'll never give it back.
Equality is a condition of the Republic, not an ornament.
The courage to fulfill that condition was there in 1934.
It has to happen today.
Otherwise, December 5th will not be a day celebrated every year, but a confrontation repeated every year.