Presentation of women in Turkish TV series in terms of social change and gender: Example of Aşk-ı Memnu series published in 1975 and 2008

Since prehistoric times factors such as natural disasters, migrations, population growth- decline and technological advances have paved the way for social change. The changing society has caused radical changes in the position of women in society. In Turkey, modernizing with the declaration of the Republic, women has become the symbol of social change. Television, one of the most effective tools in changing and formalizing society, also used women as a commodity. Television has reproduced the society by changing its culture and ideology. While it was expected to broadcast advocating the equality of women and men, eliminating the patriarchal approach, on the contrary, it sustained the patriarchal approach. The studies carried out by the media in support of the patriarchal ideology have normalized the exploitation of women and their sexuality. The series Aşk-ı Memnu, which determines the subject of the research, is the adaptation of the novel published in 1899 to television. In the study, the female characters of the TV series Aşk-ı Memnu, published in 1975 and 2008, were analyzed using discourse analysis method and it was concluded that gender perception towards women was preserved.