Violence against women in Turkish folk stories and fairy tales

Violence against women is one of the biggest problems of our time and has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. Our thesis will investigate whether there is a cultural background to this situation, as well as exploring the many reasons for it. Since the field of study is folklore, the focus is on how violence, especially violence against women, is reflected in folk narratives. However, violence makes itself felt in every field. The role of oral cultural products in carrying and transmitting culture makes it possible to analyse the social structure through them. Literary products reflect the traditions, beliefs, way of life, cultural values and positioning of individuals within society. In other words, the sociological and cultural structures of a society emerge when its folklore is examined. The different roles and responsibilities that society assigns to men and women form the basis of the concept of gender. To understand how this distinction made by society affects the positioning of women and men, it is necessary to analyse the social and cultural structure. To this end, it is necessary to analyse the oral and written cultural products created by society. As investigating the elements of violence against women in all oral traditions in the field of folklore would be a comprehensive study, the scope of our research is limited to Turkish folk tales and fairy tales. The aim of the thesis is not to attribute violence caused by negative attitudes and behaviours towards women, as identified in folk narratives, to social and cultural structures, but rather to investigate the extent to which these structures are effective in causing violence against women. By evaluating folk narratives in relation to violence against women, folklore can shed light on this pressing issue. Analysing the products of oral tradition from a gender perspective reveals a gender distinction in cultural products. This gender discrimination, reflected in oral traditions, has altered women's position in society. Our study has determined how society positions women and how this perspective is reflected in folk narratives. It has been concluded that society's attitude towards women lays the groundwork for violence at a cultural level.