March 8 is not a day to give flowers to women.
March 8 is a day to remember women's long struggle for equal rights, fair working conditions and a voice in society.
But March 8 is also the day when societies ask themselves the question;
Are women really equal?
There is no need for long research to see the answer to this question. Just look at the organizational structure of politics. Because many political parties still have the same concept; women's branches.
Let's stop and think for a minute.
Have you ever heard of “men's arms”?
You cannot hear it. Because most of the parties are already run by men. Men do politics, make decisions, determine strategy. Women are given a separate title. A separate section. A separate field.
Of course, this structure was born out of a need. It was not easy for women to enter politics in Turkey for many years. Relationships within parties, networks and the way of doing politics were often shaped according to the world built by men. For this reason, separate structures were established to organize women within parties.
But over time the picture has changed.
Women are no longer just voters; they have become influential actors in academia, economy, bureaucracy and public administration. Their level of education has risen, their presence in working life has increased, and their demand for representation in decision-making processes has strengthened.
This structure, which was established to create a place for women in politics, has today become a system that keeps women away from the center of politics in most places.
Look carefully at a party congress. Most of the speakers on the stage are men. Men dominate the rooms where strategy is discussed. Candidate lists, balances of power and orientations are often determined at those tables.
Women's branches are in the field most of the time.
Organizes events.
Makes a visit.
Runs the organization.
In other words, it carries the burden of politics, but it is often nowhere near the center of decision-making.
This is what the figures show.
The rate of women deputies in the Turkish Grand National Assembly is around 20 percent. In party administrations, this rate is often even lower.
This is not just a matter of numbers. It is about the culture of politics.
For a long time, politics in Turkey has been shaped as a field founded by men and governed by men. Political careers have often been characterized by nightly meetings, intense networks of relationships and intra-party power struggles. This structure made it difficult for women to enter politics.
Women's branches were initially established to overcome this obstacle. But today the same structure, sometimes unwittingly, sends another message; the essence of politics is here, you stand over there.
But politics is not a matter of organization.
Politics is about decision-making.
How a country's economy will be managed, what its education system will be like, which direction its foreign policy will take... All of these are determined at those decision tables.
If women make up half of society, they should sit at half of those tables.
In some parts of the world, different methods are used to overcome this problem. For example, the Swedish Social Democratic Party has a system that balances the representation of men and women on candidate lists. Many European parties have gender quotas or equal representation mechanisms.
So it is not just a question of an organizational model.
It is a question of mentality.
Perhaps the simplest question to ask on March 8 is: If politics is truly egalitarian, why do we still have “women's branches”?
Women are not the arm of politics.
It is the brain and conscience of politics.
The political brain sits at the decision table, not in a separate room.
That is why this shame, not this distinction called “women's branches” must be abolished.