Women's participation and representation in government in the context of local democracy; the case of Bartın province

The political participation by and representation of women at both at national and local politics are low in the world and in Turkey. In contrary to the world, the inadequacy of women's political participation and representation in local governments, which is the first step of politics in Turkey, contradicts the perception of equality, which is the fundamental value of democracy and local democracies, and constitutes an important issue. In this study, moving from the inadequacy of women's participation and representation in the local governments in Turkey; the reasons for the underrepresentation of women directly affected by local services are examined. In this context, the purpose of this study is to determine the issues and to propose solutions regarding the women's participation and representation at local government in Bartın province. At the first place, the historical development and the main tenets of democracy and local democracy is examined. It is aimed to determine issues regarding the political participation and representation in local governments, which are among the main values of local democracy and the main focus of this thesis. Following the historical evaluation of the development and change of women's participation and representation in Turkey, a case study is conducted in Bartın province. Within the framework of the interview, the current situation regarding the participation and representation of women in management in the province of Bartın was revealed, and some solutions for this issue were suggested. The majority of the participants stated that the participation and representation rates of women in the administration were not sufficient and offered the causes and solutions for the issue from different perspectives. Within the scope of the issues, solutions were presented regarding the studies, practices and perspectives for women's participation and representation in local government in Turkey.