Barriers to Women's Leadership in Turkey

Abstract

Traditional notions in society are being eliminated; the idea that women can become leaders in society has gained acceptance. This study investigated women who participated in a Grundtvig project sponsored by the European Union (EU) entitled "Developing Women's Leadership Skills in Society." A phenomenological model was used. Qualitative data were collected using a semi-structured survey administered to a focus group of 32 women in Hendek, Sakarya; response frequencies were analyzed. The results, which demonstrate the importance of EU projects to social development, indicate that women have an interest in developing their personal skills to become leaders in society and that women increasingly believe that they can become leaders in'sOciety. However, women also believe that there are certain barriers to women's leadership in Turkey, including low levels of education among women, socio-cultural factors, and the responsibilities traditionally ascribed to women in a patriarchal system, such as caring for children and housework. To increase the number of women leaders in society, women should be supported and educated equally, relevant laws should be changed, prejudices that suggest that woiiien cannot be leaders should be eliminated, and quotas for women should be implemented to increase women's participation in politics.