{"id":4099,"date":"2022-04-07T21:16:03","date_gmt":"2022-04-07T21:16:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitlocalturkey.com\/?p=4099"},"modified":"2023-12-20T09:34:56","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T09:34:56","slug":"turkish-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visitlocalturkey.com\/turkish-women\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkish Women – How and Why They Are Different?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this article, as a Turkish, I explain all the things about Turkish women, their lives, how they look, what they wear, common characteristics, culture, and women\u2019s rights in Turkey.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have so much to tell you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. What Do Turkish Women Look Like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Demet \u00d6zdemir<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ozgu Kaya<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Eda Ece<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Cansu Dere<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Turkish TV Show Celebrities (Photos from Demet Ozdemir<\/a>, Ozgu Kaya<\/a>, Eda Ece<\/a>, and Cansu Dere<\/a>‘s Instagrams.)
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Turkish women are gorgeous women, but it\u2019s not because of their looks but due to their aura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey is at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. For this reason, it is common to see Turkish women with European, Asian, and Mediterranean looks.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generally speaking, Turkish women have round faces with feminine facial features, brown hair tones, and brown eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n

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You can see the Central Asian Ancestry of my wife by her almond-shaped eyes.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Eyes are not usually round but almond-shaped due to Asian ancestry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natural blonde hair is not common, yet a big portion of Turkish women dye their hair blonde.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish women mostly look the typical Mediterranean with Central Asian and European features. The average Turkish woman is between 1.55 and 1.70. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Wikipedia<\/a>, the average height of Turkish women is 161,9 m (531 ft 2 in).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish women are usually brunettes with white to light brown skin color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To have a better opinion, you can look up some of the finest examples of Turkish women like Azra Akin. She was crowned Miss World in 2002.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Keriman Halis – Miss Universe 1932<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Azra Ak\u0131n – Miss World 2002<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
First and last Miss Worlds of Turkey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Keriman Halis was Turkey’s first Miss Universe. Her beauty is different from modern beauty, yet there is something classical and elegant about how she looks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suggested Reading: What Do Turkish People Look Like? With Pictures and History<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Typical Characteristics of Turkish Women<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Regarding Turkish women, everyone has their own perspective on them. Some label them as jealous, some as modest, and some as multi-talented. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, Turkish women have countless great qualities that can fascinate most people. It\u2019s not a surprise that our culture has some effects on women\u2019s personalities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generally speaking, some Turkish women are very caring, loving, and selfless mothers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey, in general, is a very family-oriented country. Additionally, the concept of motherhood is very important in Turkish culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Especially in their 20s, women in Turkey are more likely to get married. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, in their 30s, Turkish women are powerful enough to make more personal decisions and feel freer to reject roles defined by society.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Sabiha Gokcen is the first women fighter pilot in the world. The photo was taken on her Balkan tour in 1938. You may also know her from the Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, named after her in Istanbul.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

People tend to believe that it\u2019s hard to date Turkish women because they are very traditional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, other than being family-oriented, Turkish women are mostly not conservative. As for my personal experience, Turkish women are more open-minded than Turkish men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As long as they feel that they are understood, Turkish women can be the best partners in life.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Samiye Cahit Morkaya – first Turkish woman car racer (A photo from the 1930s)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Turkey has a unique historical development. To learn more, please read Why is Turkey considered a European Country?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.1 Izmir Girls<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Izmir is the city known to have the most beautiful women. This is due to two reasons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One is that Izmir is mostly settled with Turkish refugees from the Balkans and Europe after the First World War. Thus, more people are more European looking.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, Izmir is also known as the most liberal Turkish city with excellent beaches. Thus, nature and culture make women here happier, flirtatious, and more confident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women living in coastal and metropolitan areas are far more educated, flirtatious, and dress elegantly. You will also see many attractive women while walking on the high streets of Istanbul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eskisehir and Antalya are also known for the beauty of their girls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, the difference does not lie with where the women were born. The difference lies mostly in the more liberal cultures of these cities where women grew up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey is aligned with liberal Western culture more than you can imagine. Please read Is Turkey a First World Country?<\/a> to learn more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Turkish Women\u2019s Dating Traits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every woman\u2019s expectations of relationships are different, yet Turkish people tend to share common traits as a society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the traits of Turkish society is to be very family-centric. The traditional cycle for Turkish women is going to school, graduating with a profession, getting married, and having kids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same is true for Turkish men. <\/strong>The only difference is that men need to serve in the military after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Turkish society after the 1980s, education and having a profession were seen as a must, and being a housewife was not an option as it was in the days of my parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, if you are looking to have a quality family life, Turkish women are great partners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most Turkish women are very passionate and loyal in relationships. They also tend to be caring not just for you and your children but also for your parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish people have strong stereotypes, especially in Europe. Learn more about Turkish physical and cultural characteristics as well as Turkish history by reading Are Turks White Caucasian? Who is a Turk?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Turkish Women in Marriage<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Family is the cornerstone of Turkish Society. (Photo of my family)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Marriage is an important concept in Turkey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Turkish culture, meeting and getting parents’ approval for a relationship is a very important step because marriage is seen as a union of two families, not just two partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living with an unmarried partner may be accepted by liberals, yet it would be considered unacceptable by most Turkish people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Especially, women tend to live with their parents until they get married. It is not common for daughters or sons to leave their parent’s homes after they reach the legal age. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only two reasons are common for leaving the parent’s home: education reasons or marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Meral Aksener is the former interior minister of Turkey. Now, she is the leader of the 2nd biggest opposition party in Turkey. You can see Meral Aksener with my sister’s family in the picture.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Living alone is getting more common these days, yet it is also common to live with your parents for both Turkish men and women, even if you are in your 30s.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This situation is one of the major differences in Turkish society. Turkish people spend all their lives either with their parent\u2019s family or their own family, not living alone as individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Turkish culture, placing your parents into senior group homes is not widely accepted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, your partner may ask for her elder parent to live with you or in a house near you so that she can take care of them. This is also the same for your parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, Turkish women tend to act as if they are the mothers of their partners. The majority of Turkish men like this situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are the good effects of a family-oriented culture. At first glance, these appear to be of fantastic quality. Yet, there are downsides.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Semiha Es – First Turkish War Reporter in 1950 during the Korean War.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Turkish women tend to attach too much value to their partners, so jealousy is a common trait. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish mothers can be overly protective of their children. They usually don\u2019t have any bad intentions, but this can limit children\u2019s ability to stand on their own feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve always found Turkish women so strong, adaptable, and strong-willed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Stereotypes in Europe about Turkish Women<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Europe, Turkish women are assumed to be oppressed, but this is far from true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We still have traditions that can be seen against gender equality from a Western perspective. Yet, Turkey is one of the first countries in the world to give women full rights. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey is the first country to have a female Constitutional Court President and a woman fighter pilot in the world. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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The first female Deputies in the Turkish Parliament were elected in the 8 February 1935 general elections.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

I remember when I was a law student, I traveled to Germany for a Harvard University law student conference. We rented a house in Heidelberg with four of my girlfriends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was the only boy in the group, and when we arrived at the house, the German lady who was the landlord refused to shake my hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She shook my girlfriend’s hands first. She said something like, \u201cIn Germany, women are first ”. She was trying to give me a gender equality lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was puzzled to see how Turkish society was seen as a women-oppressed society. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In front of this German lady, there were four Turkish ladies with mini skirts in their 20s roaming Europe freely with a non-romantic boyfriend, and they were attending an international law conference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, because of her prejudices, she was seeing oppressed Turkish women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Turkish society, Turkish women\u2019s status is not worse or better than in European countries, yet their advantages and disadvantages are different.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is some solid data that can show women\u2019s role and share in Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jobs in Turkey<\/th>Number of Women<\/th>Percentage<\/th>Number of Men<\/th>Percentage<\/th>Source<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Judges<\/td>2.706<\/td>34,5%<\/td>5.147<\/td>65,5%<\/td>Council of Judges and Prosecutors<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Public Prosecutor<\/td>314<\/td>7,2%<\/td>4.034<\/td>92,8%<\/td>Council of Judges and Prosecutors<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Lawyers<\/td>65.533<\/td>45,72%<\/td>77.797<\/td>54,28%<\/td>Union of Bar Association<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Deputies in the Turkish Parliament<\/td>101<\/td>17,38%<\/td>480<\/td>82,62%<\/td>Turkish Parliament <\/a><\/td><\/tr>
University Students<\/td>4.041.232<\/td>49%<\/td>4.178.286<\/td>51%<\/td>Council of Higher Education<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
University Teachers<\/td>81.661<\/td>45,36%<\/td>98.404<\/td>54,64%<\/td>Council of Higher Education<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
Men and Women Percentages in Turkey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

6. Turkish Cultural Differences in the Role of Women and Men<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Dilhan Eryurt worked in NASA’s Apollo Program from 1961 to 1973 and founded the Astrophysics department at the prestigious Middle East Technical University. Later, she became the Dean of the Science and Arts Faculty.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Turkish women work in many professions. They are political leaders, jet pilots, university professors, and judges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no law banning women from becoming something in Turkey; Turkish women can become anything they like their modern Western counterparts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, gender equality is more rooted in Turkish culture than in most cultures. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Turkish women are strong. (Picture of my sister.)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Turkish culture evolved from Central Asian nomadic Turkic culture, where men and women collaborate as equals with different duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, the rules of the society are different due to Turkish and Turkic traditions, and, therefore, culture may seem to limit the freedom of Turkish women.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me explain the classical roles of Turkish Women and men so that you can better understand Turkish people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a nomadic lifestyle, women and men both needed to work to survive. Men organized, bringing more resources and doing the hard work. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since nomadic times, in classical Turkish society, home and family is the place where women rule. Men are obliged to manage outside relations, work, and provide for the family.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

**This does not mean a woman\u2019s place is home.<\/strong>**<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can even see work distribution in wars. Turkish women supply and manage resources while men fight on the front.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Turkish Men and Women worked together to win the Turkish War of Independence. In a photo from 1923, the banner reads, “We won the Republic like this.”<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Another example is the Turkish language<\/a>. The Turkish language is gender-neutral. Turkish does not have feminine or masculine word separation, unlike most Latin Languages.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, nearly most Turkish titles are the same for women and men. For example, both the King and Queen are called Sultans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Ottoman Empire, there were always two Sultans. The sultan (King) ruled the dominion and external relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, the palace was ruled by a female ruler. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The king’s mom or wife, who is also called the Sultan, ruled the harem and decided what the Sultan should eat, who he should marry, and who he would sleep with at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Women\u2019s Rights in Turkey<\/h2>\n\n\n
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A Canadian Political Cartoon: Women were granted the right to vote in Turkey in 1930 but not in Quebec until 1940.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In Turkey, legally, women have the same rights as men. Only gender-based Turkish laws are positive discrimination laws to eliminate women’s disadvantages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Republic\u2019s Founding Father Mustafa Kemal reforms abolished Sharia Law and introduced the Turkish Civil, which was based on the Swiss Civil Code (1926). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 1930, Turkish women were granted full political and equal civil rights. Since then, gender equality has been a major principle protected by the Turkish Constitution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These changes gave women the right to divorce, equal rights in inheritance, and custody of their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around the same time, religious clothing and polygamy were banned for men and women, further ensuring gender equality by protecting Turkish society from conservative backslash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last thing<\/strong> I would mention is that Turkey is a democracy, and in terms of women’s rights, Turkey is in the European League. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, as the EU Report on Turkey<\/a> outlines, Turkish democracy has much room to expand and improve not just for Turkish women but all individuals.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet Turkish democracy is deep-rooted, and despite backlashes, I believe it will continue to improve as it did before.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Reasons for Turkish Society being different than Muslim Countries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Tulay Tugcu is the first woman president of the Constitutional Court of Turkey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You ask why Turkey was successful in granting women\u2019s rights earlier than most European Countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people think gender equality was achieved in Turkey solely because of Ataturk’s reforms in the 1920s and 1930s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, the introduction of reforms cannot change society if society is not ready for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish feminism was established long before the Turkish Republic was founded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The official Turkish Feminist Movement began in 1908 with the establishment of the Ottoman Welfare Organisation of Women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suggested Reading: Is Turkey in the Middle East?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Can you see the banner “Are British Women Worth Less Than Turkish Women?”? – From a protest for equal pay in the UK circa the 1960s. Source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Even though Turkish people are majority Muslim, Turkish culture is very different from other Islamic countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish culture is a fusion of Central Asian, East Roman, Anatolian, and Ottoman cultures.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I explained above with examples, in classical Turkish society, Turkish men and women were equal partners with different but equally important roles in the Turkish family and Turkish society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For these reasons, even though Turkey had Islamic influences, Turkey was one of the first countries to accept full women\u2019s rights, and gender equality reforms were successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. What Do Women Wear in Turkey?<\/h2>\n\n\n
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A picture from my pre-wedding ceremony. You can see modern and hijab styles in the picture. My wife is wearing a traditional Turkish dress.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The majority of Turkish women wear casual modern clothing styles. Turkish women with religious views wear abayas and headscarves. Elderly women also use headscarves to cover their white hair.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arabic-style black veils are non-existent in Turkey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are no official dress codes, but public nudity is not accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

20 years ago, Islamic clothing and headscarves were banned for government workers and students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, the ban has been lifted. Regardless, you won\u2019t see radical religious dresses other than casual abayas and headscarves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In most international movies, Turkey is portrayed as a conservative country where every woman is covered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, I watch a random Hollywood movie that takes place in Turkey. It might seem strange to you, but I can\u2019t even recognize my own country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to my personal experience and surveys, 30% percent of women wear conservative clothing in Turkey.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most women wear shorts, dresses, and crop tops in big cities like Istanbul and Izmir, coastal areas, and holiday towns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, some cities or neighborhoods are more conservative than others. In those places, women usually don\u2019t prefer wearing revealing clothes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this article, as a Turkish, I explain all the things about Turkish women, their lives, how they look, what they wear, common characteristics, culture, and women\u2019s rights in Turkey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[79],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitlocalturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4099"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitlocalturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitlocalturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitlocalturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitlocalturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4099"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/visitlocalturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9514,"href":"https:\/\/visitlocalturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4099\/revisions\/9514"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitlocalturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitlocalturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitlocalturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitlocalturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}