Women’s Right to Vote in Turkey
Women’s Day Turkey / December 5, (1934)
Introduction
The story of women’s suffrage in Turkey represents one of the earliest successes for women’s voting rights in the Muslim world. Under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Turkish Republic, women in Turkey gained voting rights through a series of reforms that began in the early 1930s. This achievement, coming decades before many neighboring countries extended similar rights, formed part of Atatürk’s broader vision to modernize Turkey and bring it in line with Western political and social norms. The establishment of women’s suffrage in Turkey took place over several stages, with the full right to vote and stand for national elections granted on December 5, 1934, a landmark date in Turkish history.
Historical Context: The Ottoman Legacy and the New Turkish Republic
To understand the significance of women’s suffrage in Turkey, it’s essential to consider the historical context from which these reforms emerged:
The Ottoman Period (Pre-1923)
Prior to the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923, the Ottoman Empire had maintained traditional gender roles that largely excluded women from political participation:
- The Ottoman legal system was primarily based on Islamic law (Sharia), which did not provide for women’s political participation
- Women’s roles were largely confined to domestic and family matters
- Some limited reforms affecting women’s status occurred during the Tanzimat period (1839-1876) and the Second Constitutional Era (after 1908)
- Women’s organizations began to emerge in the late Ottoman period, advocating for expanded rights and opportunities
- During the Turkish War of Independence (1919-1923), women contributed significantly to the nationalist cause, creating a foundation for subsequent recognition of their rights
Despite these developments, the Ottoman system did not recognize women as political actors with voting rights. The concept of electoral politics itself was limited within the Ottoman constitutional monarchy.
The Kemalist Revolution and Early Republic
The establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, ushered in a period of radical social and political transformation:
- Mustafa Kemal Atatürk became the first president of the new republic and initiated a comprehensive program of modernizing reforms
- Secularism became a central principle, with the abolition of the caliphate in 1924 and the adoption of a secular civil code in 1926
- Western-style dress was encouraged, with restrictions on traditional and religious attire
- The Latin alphabet replaced the Arabic script in 1928
- Women’s status became a focal point for reform, seen as essential to Turkey’s modernization
Atatürk frequently expressed his belief that the advancement of women was necessary for national progress, stating in a 1923 speech: “A society, a nation consists of two sorts of people: men and women. How can a society progress when it chains one part of itself?”
The Path to Women’s Suffrage in Turkey: A Three-Step Process
Women’s voting rights in Turkey were granted through a progressive series of reforms, each expanding the scope of women’s political participation:
Step One: Municipal Voting Rights (April 3, 1930)
The first formal recognition of women’s right to vote came on April 3, 1930, when the Turkish Parliament amended the municipal election law. This reform:
- Granted Turkish women the right to vote in municipal (local) elections
- Also allowed women to be candidates for municipal councils
- Applied to women aged 18 and older
- Represented the first official recognition of women as political actors in the republic
The municipal elections held in the fall of 1930 marked the first time Turkish women exercised their newly granted voting rights, with 17 women being elected to various municipal councils.
Step Two: Village Council Rights (October 26, 1933)
On October 26, 1933, the Turkish Parliament expanded women’s political rights by granting them the right to participate in village council elections. This reform:
- Extended women’s voting rights to rural governance structures
- Allowed women to be elected to village councils (muhtar)
- Further normalized women’s political participation beyond urban centers
- Demonstrated the regime’s commitment to implementing gender equality throughout the country
This intermediate step brought voting rights to women across Turkey’s extensive rural areas, where traditional gender norms often remained strongest.
Step Three: National Voting Rights (December 5, 1934)
The culmination of this process came on December 5, 1934, when the Turkish Grand National Assembly approved constitutional amendments granting women full and equal political rights. This historic reform:
- Gave women the right to vote in national elections
- Granted women the right to stand as candidates for the national parliament
- Established complete political equality between men and women in the electoral sphere
- Was enshrined in the constitution through amendments to Articles 10 and 11
The law was officially published in the nation’s legal gazette (Resmi Gazete) on December 5, 1934, making this the definitive date of women’s full enfranchisement in Turkey. President Atatürk personally championed this reform, which was passed unanimously by the parliament.
Following this reform, women participated in national elections for the first time on February 8, 1935. In this election:
- 17 women were elected to the Turkish Parliament, constituting 4.5% of the total representatives
- Among these first female parliamentarians was Satı Çırpan, a village headwoman who represented the integration of rural women into national politics
This achievement made Turkey one of the first countries in the world to achieve near-universal suffrage and placed it ahead of many European nations in terms of women’s political rights.
Comparison with Global Context
Turkey’s establishment of women’s suffrage on December 5, 1934, placed it in a progressive position globally:
Earlier Adopters
- New Zealand (1893) was the first nation to grant women’s suffrage
- Finland (1906) was the first European country to grant women full political rights
- Several Western nations, including the United States (1920), the United Kingdom (fully by 1928), and Germany (1918), preceded Turkey
Contemporary and Later Adopters
- France did not grant women the right to vote until 1944
- Italy extended suffrage to women in 1945
- Greece granted women voting rights in 1952
- Switzerland did not establish women’s suffrage until 1971
- Many Middle Eastern countries adopted women’s suffrage decades later:
- Syria (1949/1953)
- Egypt (1956)
- Iran (1963)
- Kuwait (2005)
- Saudi Arabia (2015)
Turkey’s relatively early adoption of women’s suffrage reflected its unique position between East and West and the Kemalist regime’s determination to establish Turkey as a modern, secular republic aligned with European norms.
Key Figures in Turkish Women’s Suffrage
Several important individuals contributed to the advancement of women’s political rights in Turkey:
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938)
As the founder and first president of the Turkish Republic, Atatürk was the chief architect of women’s suffrage:
- He personally championed women’s rights as part of his modernization agenda
- Atatürk frequently spoke about the importance of women’s participation in all aspects of society
- He encouraged women to pursue education and professional careers
- His adopted daughters, including Sabiha Gökçen (Turkey’s first female combat pilot), served as role models for Turkish women
Atatürk’s personal commitment to women’s equality was summarized in his statement: “If henceforward the women do not share in the social life of the nation, we shall never attain to our full development.”
Nezihe Muhiddin (1889-1958)
A leading feminist activist and writer, Muhiddin played a crucial role in advocating for women’s political rights:
- She founded the Women’s People’s Party (Kadınlar Halk Fırkası) in 1923, though it was not officially recognized
- After the party was denied recognition, she established the Turkish Women’s Union in 1924
- She published the influential women’s magazine “Women’s Path” (Kadın Yolu)
- Muhiddin consistently advocated for women’s political participation before and after the establishment of the republic
Though sometimes at odds with state-led feminism, Muhiddin’s activism helped create the social and intellectual foundation for women’s suffrage.
Latife Uşaklıgil (1898-1975)
As Atatürk’s wife from 1923 to 1925, Uşaklıgil:
- Was one of the first women to appear publicly alongside her husband at political events
- Represented a new model of the educated, modern Turkish woman
- Used her brief position as First Lady to advocate for women’s rights
- Provided Atatürk with insights on women’s issues
Though their marriage was short-lived, Uşaklıgil’s public role helped normalize the idea of women in political spaces.
First Female Parliamentarians
The 17 women elected to parliament in 1935 played a crucial role in establishing the precedent of women’s political participation:
- Makbule Dıblan, elected from Ankara
- Satı Çırpan, a village headwoman elected from Ankara
- Mebrure Gönenç, elected from Afyon
- Türkan Örs Baştuğ, elected from Antalya
- Sabiha Gökçül Erbay, elected from Balıkesir
- Others who collectively demonstrated women’s capacity for national leadership
These pioneering women came from diverse backgrounds, including educators, physicians, and local leaders, reflecting the breadth of women’s contributions to Turkish society.
Turkey’s suffragettes: Politics still wears a moustache
On 5 December 1934, Turkish women won the right to vote in national elections, ten years before the women of France.
They had already been able to vote and run for office in local elections since 1930, and the first woman to become a village chief, Gul Esin, was elected at Cine in the province of Aydin in 1933.
But, like almost everywhere else, this historic advance quickly met with strong opposition from the patriarchy and a long struggle lay ahead before women could participate fully in the political life of the country.
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