News

IN THE SHADOW OF THE EARTHQUAKE, MARCH 8, INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

March 8, International Women's Day, is an international day celebrated on March 8 every year and defined by the United Nations in 1975. It is devoted to the development of political and social awareness of women on the basis of human rights, and the celebration of their economic, political and social achievements. It started to be celebrated in Turkey as of 1921 under the name of International Working Women's Day. Today, it is a long-term struggle that started with the demand for humane working hours of women workers in the world.

According to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) women's statistics for 2022, 49.9 percent of the population is women. With respect to the data of the (TÜİK) "Women with Statistics" for the year 2022:

• 51.1% of women and 71.9% of men felt safe in their environment.

• While the rate of women aged 25 and over who completed at least one level of education was 72.6% and 89.8% for men in 2008, this rate was 87.3 percent for women and 97.1 percent for men in 2021.

• When analyzed by education level, it was seen that women participate more in the workforce as their education level increases. The labor force participation rate of illiterate women is 12.8 percent, the labor force participation rate of women with less than high school education is 25.3 percent, the labor force participation rate of high school graduate women is 32.5 percent, and while the labor force participation rate of women with vocational or technical high school graduates is 38.5 percent, female labor force participation rate was 67.6 percent.

• While the rate of female ambassadors was 11.9 percent in 2011, it increased to 27.2 percent in 2022.

• According to the data of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, as of the end of 2022, the number of female deputies among 579 deputies was 100. While the rate of female deputies entering the parliament was 9.1 percent in 2007, it became 17.3 percent in 2022.

• While the rate of women in senior and middle management positions in companies was 14.4% in 2012, it became 20.7% in 2021.

• When household chores performed by household members are analyzed by gender in 2021, it is mostly women who undertake the housework. Women are mostly responsible for child care with 94.4 percent, laundry and dish washing (even by machine) with 85.6 percent, and 85.4 percent. He took on the tasks of cooking and the daily tidying and cleaning of the house. Men undertook the payment of monthly bills with 74.1 percent and minor maintenance, repair and repair works with 65.2 percent.

• In 2021, the Internet usage rate of individuals in the 16-74 age group was 82.6%. While this rate was 77.5% for women, it was 87.7% for men.

• 35.5% of women felt insecure when walking alone at night in their neighborhood.

In the shadow of the devastating disaster of the earthquake, we are living on March 8, International Working Women's Day. More than 15 million people were affected in the earthquake area and 4.1 million of them are women of reproductive age. Of the estimated 265 thousand pregnant women in the disaster area, 25 thousand are expected to give birth next month. Limited access to clean water, showers, toilets and handwashing points in the area increases the risk of contagious diseases spreading. While many earthquake survivors complained about the “gender blindness” of aid immediately after the disaster, some live in overcrowded shelters, fearing for their safety and that of their children.

Women face vulnerable and disadvantaged situations in disasters due to their gender roles and social status. They are more affected by disasters due to factors related to gender roles, such as women's low education level, the behaviors they have developed due to their upbringing, and the skills they have acquired throughout their lives. Therefore, approaching disasters with a gender perspective will ensure success in disaster management. After the earthquake, there are difficulties in accessing reproductive health services. In the first phase of the earthquake, premature births may occur due to the shock situation, and malnutrition problems are expected in puerperant women. Women can be exposed to violence in every aspect in the post-earthquake period and experience security problems in their living spaces. In international studies, it is a fact that women face physical, sexual, psychological violence, human trafficking and abuse in disasters.

For security reasons, women try to meet their toilet needs in groups of at least three among the debris and vehicles. The risk of contagious diseases is very high because clean water, toilet and hygiene materials are lacking. In crisis situations such as earthquakes, women and girls and other vulnerable groups are at increased risk of Gender-Based Violence. Many women and children in the earthquake area have been traumatized and need psychosocial support. There is a significant danger of epidemics due to unmet hygiene needs in the affected areas. Shelter, heating, cleaning, food, non-food items (including hygiene and self-care kits) and health services should be met in the short term.

It should not be forgotten that gender inequality will increase exponentially in disasters such as earthquakes, and that even before the earthquake, women living in that region had more gender inequality. We wish all women to celebrate March 8 with conditions befitting human dignity.