Support High for Women's Rights

A recent opinion poll conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org, a project managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, found significant support for women's rights in Turkey. The poll asked citizens in multiple countries about their support for women's rights and thoughts about the discrimination of divorced and widowed women in their respective societies. According to the WorldPublicOpinion.org press release,

a large majority in Turkey (70%) perceives discrimination against widows with the largest number (52%) of any of the nations polled saying that they are mistreated a great deal. The same pattern applies to divorced women—72 percent think divorced women are mistreated, with 51 percent saying a great deal. This issue may have gained a greater profile in Turkish society as part of the process of Turkey seeking accession into the European Union. The European Parliament has said that while women have officially had full political rights in Turkey since the 1930s, customary treatment of women in the country’s southeast has varied from the legal ideal.

Without the support of a male relative, divorced women in traditional settings can have an incredibly difficult time "getting by." Divorced women are also prone to greater sexual harrassment, as their marital status makes them more readily accepting of sexual advances in the eyes of some men.