Works of Cengiz Aytmatov in the context of the concept of gender

One of the famous writers of the Turkic world, Cengiz Törökuloğlu Aytmatov, has many works in which he deals with the themes of love, friendship, war and heroism. He shows that the valuable treasure of a nation is its national and cultural heritage by including epics, tales, legends, stories and folk songs in his works. The author tells the difficulties his nation has faced throughout history, the harsh conditions and suffering of the geography he lives in through the characters he creates. While dealing with these themes, Aytmatov places corrupt characters who are devoid of national values and culture right in front of combative and patriotic characters. When evaluated in the context of the gender factor, the characters in question exhibit a bipolar appearance in terms of the characteristics they possess. In the study, the male and female characters in Cengiz Aytmatov's novels and stories were examined under the concept of gender and classified according to their characteristics. While examining these characters, many factors such as their lives, nationalities, social classes, religions and the period they lived in were taken into consideration, especially their gender. Most of the studies under the title of gender focus only on women. In this study, the female and male characters were examined under separate subheadings. Both genders were examined in terms of the sexist issues they encountered in the family, economic life, education, religion, politics, etc. social and social areas. Finally, the study tried to reveal the typical gender and ideal female and male profiles for Aytmatov. The male and female characters in Cengiz Aytmatov's works live in a period of war and intense political activity. Due to the conditions of the period they are in, both genders are in a cycle where the strong oppress and discredit the weak. When all these factors are taken into consideration, it can be said that both genders are marginalized by sexist attitudes and discourses, are extremely loyal to their traditions and culture, and are subject to social norms and pressures. In these works, where the traditional patriarchal family structure is dominant, the female and male characters shape their lives as society deems appropriate. The author's works are quite comprehensive in terms of understanding the sexist issues that existed during his time, the society's perspective on women and men, and the expectations from them. In this regard, Aytmatov's works are worth examining in the context of gender inequality.