The impact of women’s wings of political parties on women’s political participation in Turkey: A comparative analysis based on the examples of the Güneysu and Ardeşen districts

Within the changing world order, society's evolving demands can lead to various conflicts arising. The management of these incompatibilities necessitates an authoritarian mechanism for social stability. So does this authority provide the same level of political participation to individuals? When considered historically, it is clearly seen that there are differences in the visible face of society, and these differences are mostly on women. Women have taken part in various mechanisms to make their lives more sustainable. One of these mechanisms is the women's branches within the organizational structure of political parties, which are of critical importance for democratic functioning. There are both structural and cultural barriers that prevent women from participating in political life. Women's groups are seen as an effective tool in overcoming these barriers. Within the scope of the study, it is discussed whether the political participation of Turkish women in political parties is not only an organizational structure, but also has a structure that shapes local political production and representation mechanisms. It analyzes the role of the AK Party and CHP women's branches in the intra-party mobilization, voter contact and local political participation processes of Güneysu and Ardeşen districts of Rize province comparatively in terms of women's access to decision-making mechanisms and contribution to their level of political representation.