Gender relations in Kemal Sunal movies (1970-1990)

Gender roles imposed on men and women shape society and lead to the emergence of a patriarchal mentality. Patriarchal ideology with exalted masculinity and repressed femininity can always exist in society. Women try to win the fight to become an individual, which they have started against society, by carrying themselves into the public sphere or by having a say in society. In a male-dominated society, it can be difficult for a woman to rebel, and she pays a price in this process. Patriarchal society creates inequality and puts women in a subordinate position. Among the mass media, television is the most easily accessed medium. Therefore, films are important for analyzing gender roles in society, and cinema makes women visible in the media. For this reason, cinema, while thinking about the economic side of the business, also tries to prove the existence of women. In this context, the main purpose of this study is to reveal the strong female figure of that period by examining the representation of women rebelling against the patriarchal order in Kemal Sunal's films. Qualitative research method was used as the research method and convenience sampling was preferred among the research designs. Research data was obtained from ten films of Kemal Sunal. The collected data were analyzed according to content analysis. It is seen that the representation of women in Kemal Sunal's films rebels against the patriarchal system and this makes women strong. It is understood that women who reverse the gender roles assigned by society look to the future with more hope. Women's efforts to become individuals in society and to demand equal rights and freedoms with men save her from the domination of masculine ideology.