Women’s Politics in the AKP: Party, Party’s Women Branches and Women Electorates

Öz

Research on feminization process shows women's political participation and representation as a sequential and relational process. However, especially, emerging analysis studies on conservative/right-wing parties and the political activism of women in these parties revealed that the increased presence of women in politics does not necessarily provide a feminist response to women's issues, nor does it necessarily help the representation of both women and these women's issues. With the curiosity on this situation, this article examines how feminization and anti-feminization processes have coexisted in the right-wing political party in Turkey the case of Justice and Development Party (AKP). It focuses on the political participation process of women through qualitative research on the party’s women’s branches and party’s women voters. My research findings show feminization and anti-feminism have coexist in the relationship between the party and women. While the party provides certain limits and boundries which are considered as anti-feminist conditions, women, on the other hand, strategize their political activism by conforming those limits. To that end, despite the number of women in politics, it does not bring a substantive transformation for women.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• AKP’s Women Politics
• Feminization
• Anti-Feminism
• Women’s Branches
• Women Voters

AKP’de Kadınların Siyaseti: Parti, Parti Kadın Kolları, Kadın Seçmenler

Öz

Siyasetin kadınlaşması (İngilizce kavramıyla feminization) üzerine yapılan araştırmalar, kadınların siyasi katılımını ve temsilini ardışık ve ilişkisel bir süreç olarak göstermektedir. Ancak, özellikle muhafazakâr-sağ partiler ve kadınların bu partilerdeki siyasal aktivizmi hakkında yapılan yeni analizler, siyasette giderek artan kadın varlığına, kadın sorunlarına ve bu sorunların temsiline feminist bir cevap verememektedir. Bu çıkarımların uyandırdığı merak ile bu makale, Türkiye’deki muhafazakâr-sağ siyasetin temsilcisi olan Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP) örneği üzerinden siyasetin kadınlaşması ve toplumsal cinsiyet politikalarının anti-feminist doğasının nasıl bir arada olabildiğini incelemektedir. Araştırma, partiye bağlı kadın kolları ve partiye oy veren kadınlar üzerine nitel araştırma yoluyla gerçekleştirilmiş olup, kadınların siyasi katılım sürecine odaklanmaktadır. Araştırmanın ortaya çıkardığı temel bulgu ise AKP’de kadınlaşmanın ve anti-feminist politikaların birlikte var olabilmesidir. Parti, anti-feminist koşullar olarak kabul edilen belirli sınırlar ve kısıtlamalar sunarken, kadınlar bunlara uyum sağlayıp, siyasi aktivizmlerini kadın kollarına katılarak ve dünya görüşleriyle denk düştüğünü düşünüp partiye oy vererek stratejik bir şekilde sürdürmektedir. Bu bağlamda, kadınların siyasetteki varlığı, kadınlar için literatürün beklediği köklü ve etkin bir dönüşüm getirmemektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• AKP’nin kadın siyaseti
• Kadınlaşma
• Anti-feminizm
• Kadın kolları
• Kadın seçmen

Kaynakça

1. Anderson, Kristin (2014), Modern Misogyny: Anti-Feminism In A Post-Feminist Era (Oxford: Oxford University Press)
2. Arat, Yeşim (1999), “Refah Partisi Hanımlar Komisyonu”, Rona, Zeynep (Der.), Bilanço, 1923-1998: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti’nin 75 Yılına Toplu Bakış Uluslararası Kongresi (Tarih Vakfı Yurt Yayınları): 289–298.
3. Arat, Yeşim (2005), Rethinking Islam and Liberal Democracy: Islamist Women in Turkish Politics (New York: State University of New York Press).
4. Arat, Yeşim (2022), “Democratic Backsliding and the Instrumentalization of Women’s Rights in Turkey”, Politics & Gender, 18 (4): 911-941.
5. Barakso, Maryann (2007), “Is There a “Woman’s Way” of Governing? Assessing the Organizational Structures of Women’s Membership Associations”, Politics & Gender, 3 (2): 201-227.
6. Campbell, Rosie ve Sarah Childs (2015), “Conservatism, Feminisation and the Representation of Women in UK Politics”, British Politics, 10 (2): 148–168.
7. Celis, Karen ve Sarah Childs (2012), “The Substantive Representation of Women: What to Do with Conservative Claims?”, Political Studies, 60 (1): 213–225.
8. Childs, Sarah (2008), Women and British Party Politics: Descriptive, Substantive and Symbolic Representation (London:Routledge).

9. Childs, Sarah ve Paul Webb (2012), Sex, Gender and The Conservative Party: From Iron Lady to Kitten Heels (London: Palgrave Macmillan).
10. Childs, Sarah ve Rainbow Murray (2014), “Feminizing Political Parties”, Childs, Sarah ve Rainbow Murray (Der.), Deeds and words: Gendering politics after Joni Lovenduski (ECPR Press): 73–90.
11. Childs, Sarah ve Miki Caul Kittilson (2016), “Feminizing political parties: Women’s party member organizations within European parliamentary parties”, Party Politics, 22 (5): 598–608.
12. Cindoğlu, Dilek ve Didem Ünal (2017), “Gender and sexuality in the authoritarian discursive strategies of ‘New Turkey’”, European Journal of Women’s Studies, 24 (1): 39-54.
13. Cowell-Meyers, Kimberly (2021), “The Women’s Movement Knocks on the Door: Theorizing the Strategy, Context and Impact of Frauen Macht Politik (FraP!) on Women’s Representation in Swiss Politics”, Politics & Gender, 17 (4): 856–856.
14. Çavdar, Gamze (2022), “Why Women Support Conservative Parties: The Case of Turkey”, Political Science Quarterly, 137 (1): 43–72.
15. Dean, Jonathan ve Bice Maiguashca (2018), “Gender, Power, and Left Politics: From Feminization to “Feministization””, Politics & Gender, 14 (3): 376–406.
16. Drechselová, Lucie (2020), Local Power and Female Political Pathways in Turkey Cycles of Exclusion (London: Palgrave Macmillan).
17. Esen, Berk ve Şebnem Gümüşçü (2016), “Rising Competitive Authoritarianism in Turkey”, Third World Quarterly, 37 (9): 1581- 1606.
18. Evans, Elizabeth (2013), Gender and the Liberal Democrats: Representing women?, (Manchester: Manchester University Press).
19. Kretschmer, Kelly ve David Meyer (2013), “Organizing Around Gender Identities”, Waylen, Georgina, Karen Celis, Johanna Kantola ve Laurel Weldon (Der.), The Oxford Handbook of Gender and Politics (Oxford: Oxford University Press): 390-410.
20. Kittilson, Miki Caul (2006), Challenging Parties, Changing Parliaments: Women and Elected Office in Contemporary Western Europe, (Ohio: Ohio State University Press).
21. Gaunder, Alisa ve Sarah Wiliarty (2020), “Conservative Women in Germany and Japan: Chancellors versus Madonnas”, Politics & Gender, 16 (1): 99–122.
22. Gwiazda, Anna (2019), “Introduction to the Special Issue on Politics and Gender in Eastern Europe”, Politics & Gender, 15 (2): 175–181.
23. Gwiazda, Anna (2021), “Right-wing populism and feminist politics: The case of Law and Justice in Poland”, International Political Science Review, 42 (5): 580-595.
24. Hinojosa, Magda (2009), ““Whatever the Party Asks of Me”: Women’s Political Representation in Chile’s Unión Demócrata Independiente”, Politics & Gender, 5 (3): 377-407.
25. Hinojosa, Magda, Kim Fridkin ve Miki Caul Kittilson (2017), “The Impact of Descriptive Representation on “Persistent” Gender Gaps: Political Engagement and Political Trust in Uruguay”, Politics, Groups, and Identities, 5 (3): 435–453.
26. Htun, Mala ve Laurel Weldon (2010), “When Do Governments Promote Women’s Rights? A Framework for the Comparative Analysis of Sex Equality Policy”, Perspectives on Politics, 8 (1): 207–216.
27. Kandiyoti, Deniz (1988), “Bargaining with Patriarchy”, Gender and Society, 2 (3): 274-290.
28. Kantola, Johanna (2019), “Women’s Organizations of Political Parties: Formal Possibilities, Informal Challenges and Discursive Controversies”, NORA- Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, 27 (1): 4–21.
29. KONDA (2018), “Konda Seçmen Kümeleri: AK Parti Seçmenleri”, https://konda.com.tr/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/KONDA_SecmenKumeleri_AkParti_Secmenleri_Mayis2018.pdf (05.03.2022).
30. Koyuncu, Berrin ve Ahu Sumbaş (2016), “Discussing Women's Representation in Local Politics in Turkey: The Case of Female Mayorship”, Women’s Studies International Forum, September (58): 41-50.
31. Lovenduski, Joni (2002), “Feminizing Politics”, Women: A Cultural Review, 13 (2): 207–220.
32. Lovenduski, Joni (2005), Feminizing Politics: Themes for the 21st Century, (Cambridge: Polity Press).
33. Mansbridge, Jane (1999), “Should Blacks Represent Blacks and Women Represent Women? A Contingent ‘Yes’”, The Journal of Politics, 61 (3): 628–657.
34. Mayer, Nonna (2015), “The closing of the radical right gender gap in France?”, French Politics, 13 (4): 391–414.
35. Milliyet (2015), “AK Parti İstanbul İl Kadın Kolları Başkanı İffet Polat: “Türkiye’de Başörtüsü Yasağı Başta Olmak Üzere Yasakları Bitiren AK Parti Hükümetidir””, (30 Mayıs 2015) https://www.milliyet.com.tr/yerel-haberler/istanbul/ak-parti-istanbul-il-kadin-kollari-baskani-iffet-polat-turkiye-de-basortusu-yasagi-basta-olmak-uzere-yasaklari-bitiren-ak-parti-hukumetidir-10813445 (01.04.2022).
36. Nayeem, Nadira ve Javeed Ahmad Bhat (2022), “Representation of Women in Indian Politics”, Journal of Psychology and Political Science, 2 (1): 19-25.
37. Norris, Pippa (1996), “Mobilizing the Women’s Vote: The Gender-Generation gap in Voting Behaviour”, Parliamentary Affairs, 49 (2): 333–342.
38. O’Brien, Diana Z (2018), ““Righting” Conventional Wisdom: Women and Right Parties in Established Democracies”, Politics & Gender, 14 (1): 27–55.
39. Özkazanç, Alev (3 Şubat 2020), “Gender and Authoritarian Populism in Turkey: The Two Phases of AKP Rule”, Open Democracy, https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/rethinking-populism/gender-and-authoritarian-populism-turkey-two-phases-akp-rule/ (15.04.2023).
40. Scrinzi, Francesca (2017), “Gender and Women in the Front National Discourse and Policy. From ‘Mothers of the Nation’ to ‘Working Mothers’?”, New formations. A journal of culture/theory/politics, Spring-Summer (97).
41. Shin, Ki-Young (2020), “An Alternative Form of Women's Political Representation: Netto, a Proactive Women's Party in Japan”, Politics & Gender, 16 (1): 4–25.
42. Somer, Murat (2016), “Understanding Turkey’s Democratic Breakdown: Old vs. New and Indigenous vs. Global Authoritarianism”, Southeast European and Black Sea Studies 16 (4): 481-503.
43. Sumbaş, Ahu (2020), “Gendered Local Politics: The Barriers to Women’s Representation in Turkey”, Democratization, 27(4): 570-587.
44. Tan, Netina (2015), “Party Quotas and Rising Women Politicians in Singapore”, Politics & Gender, 11 (1):196–207.
45. Taşcan, Hasan (12 Ocak 2021), “5,5 Milyona Ulaşan Üye Sayısı Diğer Partilerin Tüm Üye Sayılarının Çok Daha Üstünde”, Haberler.com, https://www.haberler.com/politika/ak-parti-genel-merkez-kadin-kollari-baskani-cam-13862784-haberi/ (12.03.2023).
46. Taşdemir, Salima (2013), The Feminization of Pro-Kurdish Party Politics in Turkey: The Role of Women Activists (Exeter: Exeter University, Yayınlanmamış Doktora Tezi).
47. Telseren, Aslı (2020), “Changing Gender Politics in Turkey throughout the 2000s: A Feminist Analysis of Gender Policies Pursued by Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi-AKP) Governments”, Interdisciplinary Political Studies, 6 (2): 357-395
48. Tripp, Aili Mari (2013), Political Systems and Gender (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
49. Ulusoy, Deniz (2013), “Kadınların Ücretli-Ücretsiz Emek Kıskacı: AKP’nin Aile Politikaları ve Yeni Muhafazakarlık”, Boztekin, Nihal (Der.), Başka Bir Aile Anlayışı Mümkün mü? (İstanbul: Heinrich Böll Stiftung Derneği Türkiye Temsilciliği): 112-120.
50. Wängnerud, Lena (2009), “Women in Parliaments: Descriptive and Substantive Representation”, Annual Review of Political Science, 12 (1): 51–69.
51. White, Jenny (2002), Islamist Mobilization in Turkey: A Study in Vernacular Politics (Seattle: University of Washington Press).
52. Wiliarty, Sarah E. (2010), The CDU and the Politics of Gender in Germany: Bringing Women to the Party (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
53. Wineinger, Catherine (2022), Gendering the GOP: Intraparty Politics and Republican Women’s Representation in Congress (New York: Oxford University Press).
54. Wolak, Jennifer (2020), “Descriptive Representation and the Political Engagement of Women”, Politics & Gender, 16 (2): 339–362.
55. Yaraş, Sezen (2019), “The Making of The ‘New’ Patriarch in Women’s Self-Narrations of Political Empowerment: The Case of Local Female AKP Politicians in The Aftermath of 2009 Elections”, Turkish Studies, 20 (2): 273–296.
56. Young, Lisa (2000), Feminists and Party Politics (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press).