Yerelde Eşitlik Mücadelesi: Muhtar Kadınlar
Struggle for Equality Locally: Mukhtar Women

Author(s): Hilal Dokuzcan
Subject(s): Political history, Gender history, Recent History (1900 till today), The Ottoman Empire
Published by: Transnational Press London
Keywords: Women Mukhtars; Equality; Women Representation;
Summary/Abstract: The Mukhtar institution entered our lives from the beginning of the 19th century and made a great contribution to the formation of local dynamics as the smallest management unit. As a unique model, it also has a different value. The election and nomination processes of the muhtar and their administrations create an important opportunity for participation and representation, starting from the local point of view for voters. Its proximity to the public, its availability, intervention to local problems and the provision of solutions are very important for local dynamics. There is the possibility of solidarity and sharing. All these features have a great potential for change and development in terms of women's representation and participation. Despite this potential, women are represented very little or even negligibly in the mukhtars. As of 2021, there are 50.284 mukhtars in our country, including villages and neighborhoods. Only 1.101 of these mukhtars are women. Although the rate of women mukhtars, which was 1.3% in the 2014 elections, increased to 2.1% in 2019, it points to a serious representation problem. It is a situation that deserves to be examined in terms of many areas in itself, because women who make up half of the society have so little place in a structure that is so close and within their lives. This can also provide a basis for the need to create different sensitivities, models and awareness in terms of democracy and equality.The main purpose of the study is to trace how the mukhtar model can be an exemplary model on the road to ensuring equality between men and women in the developing world of the 21st century. This study will also be examined in terms of local dynamics, with the participation of women and representation in an mukhtar scale from an egalitarian perspective. Experiences of women mukhtars during their candidate and election processes, their studies, their organization styles will be conveyed through one-to-one interviews. Service examples of women mukhtars after they are selected will be included in the study.

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