A research on comparison of the construction of hegemonic femininity and the social policies of municipalities

The municipality and municipal services are the topics discussed extensively nowadays. In this study, the evaluation of municipal services within the scope of social policy from the point of women and the manner of implementation of these policies are evaluated with examples. The first introductory part discusses the general outlines of the thesis, conceptual framework and the ground the study sits on. In the second part, the concept of social policy and its types, the definition of municipality, history of municipalism in Turkey, the concept and principles of municipal socialism have been examined. In the third part, the main subject of the thesis – women, and the construction of femininity in society is discussed from an ideological point of view. The research part of the study consists of the evaluations of the Activity Report which includes municipal services for women, social services, cultural services and educational elements. The studies carried out by municipalities for women and activity reports are evaluated as research data. In addition, on the basis of municipal socialism and social municipalism, problems of women in Turkey are examined in terms of educational, social and cultural services provided by Yenimahalle Municipality - one of the stakeholders of the United Nations Joint Program (UNJP) Women Friendly Cities Project (WFCP), and another district municipality Keçiören Municipality. The services, strategic plans and activity reports of these municipalities between 2015-2019 are considered as research data, and the services of municipalities for women and their quality was compared with a qualitative evaluation. Data from the perspective of gender and gender inequality have been critically evaluated in the axis of social and cultural myths that make life of women difficult by attributing them to women such as women's role in society, their duties, and the division of labor based on gender. As a result, determinations were made towards the effectiveness and quality of services for women provided by municipalities, which are the implementing bodies of the social policies on a local basis. Keywords:Social Policy, Municipality, Municipal Socialism, Social Municipalism, Women, Gender Perception, Domestic Responsibilities, Gender Roles Stereotypes.