Turkish women's process of obtaining political rights and its reflection in the press

In our study, while discussing the process of women obtaining the right to vote and be elected, we address the perception of women, women's rights, women's education, their contribution to a say in governance during the Seljuks and the Ottomans. These women were generally from family economy, and the role of women in political life in Turkish society. We particularly emphasize the positioning of Turkish women throughout historical processes, their influences, and the work they have accomplished. The right to vote, which is as natural as breathing for Turkish women, was not recognized until the year 1930. Similarly, they were disregarded in the political sphere, as in some other areas. As mentioned in our study, there were certainly influential women in history who left their marks and made significant contributions, but most of them were either ruling queens or women living in the palace. Turkish women had the ruler's family; however, we know that women from the general population did not have any significant influence in the political arena. In subsequent periods, with the reforms in the late Ottoman Empire and the proclamation of the Tanzimat and the Second Constitutional Era, women achieved a position that could be considered equal to men in some areas. These periods paved the way for Turkish women to fully obtain their rights in the Republican era. When the Republican era arrived, these efforts continued, and Turkish women, regardless of gender, worked towards obtaining the right to vote and be elected. In the process, the revolutionary Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk did not remain silent and took the first step by enacting the Civil Code, ensuring equal rights for Turkish women. The subsequent step was the attainment of political rights. In our study, we discuss the historical processes of how women from the general population obtained the right to vote and be elected, as well as the reflections of this event in the media.