Hürriyet, Turkey
March 9 2009

Turkish courts a bright spot for gender equality

ISTANBUL – Turkish women break down the male monopoly in one area —
the judiciary. Of the country’s 1,126 judges in supreme and high
courts, 407 are women, according to a latest survey among Council of
Europe member states.

Although men continue to hold a monopoly over Turkish politics, a
report by the Council of Europe revealed that women’s representation
in the country’s judiciary has moved toward greater gender equality.

The report, issued for International Women’s Day and titled
"Sex-Disaggregated Statistics on the Participation of Women and Men in
Political and Public Decision-Making in Council of Europe Member
States," showed that women hold only 4.2 percent of the
executive-power positions in Turkey. Among the 42 states participating
in the survey, the average was 21.6 percent.

Strikingly though, Turkish women have broken down the male monopoly in
one area Ä? the judiciary. Of the country’s 1,126 judges in
supreme and high courts, 407 are women. This puts Turkey 13th among
the surveyed countries, with 36.1 percent female representation
Ä? ahead of the Council of Europe average of 27.6 percent, and
several European Union countries. Hungary ranks first with 57.3
percent, while Armenia comes in last with no female representatives on
the country’s high courts.

Parliamentary representation

In terms of parliamentary representation, Turkey comes in 38th, with
women constituting 9.1 percent of total deputies. Malta, Ukraine,
Georgia and Armenia have fewer female representatives than Turkey. The
average among the 42 countries is 21.7 percent. Sweden, Finland and
the Netherlands are the only member states to have attained the
recommended minimum of 40 percent from each gender in their national
parliaments.

Only Finland and Ireland have women as presidents, while Germany and
Ukraine are the only countries with female prime ministers.

With only one female minister in its Cabinet, Turkey is near the
bottom of that list too. The average representation is 28.6
percent. Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Monaco, Montenegro and
Romania have no female minister in their cabinets.

In eight member states Ä? Finland, Spain, Austria, Sweden,
Norway, France, Switzerland and Belgium Ä? women ministers
comprise at least 40 percent of the national government.

Turkey is in an even worse situation at the municipal level. According
to the report, only 18 of the country’s 3,225 mayors, or 0.6 percent,
are women, well below the surveyed average of 10.2 percent. Armenia,
Liechtenstein and Monaco have no female mayors. Russia, Iceland and
Sweden have the highest percentages, but none of the member states
have reached the recommended level of 40 percent representation.

When in comes to representation in diplomatic service, Turkey flunks
again. Only 15 of the 166 Turkish ambassadors, or 9 percent, are
women, compared to a surveyed average of 14.8 percent. Serbia, Sweden
and Finland have the most female representatives in diplomatic
services, while Greece comes in last with none.