Center right and women in Turkey: An examination of elected political parties

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the practices and discourses of center-right political parties in Turkey regarding women on the basis of public, economic and political spheres, and to analyze how women are described and defined in these parties within a historical and conceptual framework. In this context, the study utilizes historical and descriptive research methods. One of the main data obtained as a result of the research is that the presence of women in center-right political parties is mostly shaped on the basis of patriarchal duties and norms. The female figure is generally positioned with characteristics such as the main elements of the family institution, wifehood and motherhood; it has been observed that women's participation as a public, economic and political factor has remained limited. Although there are some discourses regarding the representation of women in party declarations and programs, these discourses have generally been symbolic; they have been left without institutional reforms that would pave the way for women's active participation in decision-making mechanisms and administrations. In this context, it is seen that women's status as center-right political subjects has remained only at a symbolic level, and it is seen that they are restricted with passive duties that contribute more than active female participation. Another important data that the study draws attention to is that the policies implemented regarding women are generally highlighted within the scope of conservative norms and the essential roles of the family institution rather than from the perspective of gender equality. Indeed, in center-right parties, the presence of women in the public, economic and political spheres; although increasing numerically, is positioned with a limited representation in qualitative terms, and cannot shape the active participation of women in the governance processes. The policies implemented regarding women are generally formed on the basis of traditional norms and conservative values; this situation hinders an inclusive change that will strengthen gender equality. Key Words: Center Right, Women, Gender Equality