Ataturk?s Voice restored.

Ataturk?s Voice

Documentary footage from 1936 has been restored so that for the first time Ataturk?s voice can be heard as he opens parliament. (click here)

I find it interesting that, although he is not saying anything complicated, he continually refers to a piece of paper in his hand. This is the time of the language reform when Ottoman, in which he was reportedly a masterful speaker, was being replaced by ?New Turkish?, with some grammar and vocabulary  invented out of whole cloth by the Turkish Language Institute.

Turkey trails the world on social capital

Another week, another set of global rankings to test Turkey?s self-image. This time it?s the ?Prosperity Index? produced by the Legatum Institute, the 2010 edition of which was published on October 25th.

Despite the index?s name, and the fact that Legatum is a hedge fund, the rankings aren?t narrowly focused on financial performance. They are based on a wide-ranging set of indicators, which are grouped into the eight sub-indices listed in the table below.

Turkish women wearing headscarves look at a selling point in front of the Istanbul University on October 23. After a 12-year ban students wearing headscarves are allowed to attend classes since the begining of October.? Read more »(AFP/File/Mustafa Ozer)

Turkey has a Kurdish question, a headscarf question. Why no women question?

UPDATE: In a later post, I look a bit more closely at labour force participation rates?particularly at the implications of the fact that they include unpaid agricultural work.

*****

Last week?s release of the World Economic Forum?s Global Gender Gap (GGG) index made for truly depressing reading from a Turkish point of view. To be placed 126th out of 134 countries on gender equality should be a source of the deepest shame for anyone involved in Turkish public life. But it probably won?t be. Complacency abounds when it comes to the role of women in Turkey.

Is the decline in Turkey?s female labour participation rate necessarily a bad thing?

In a recent post I noted that Turkey?s female labour participation rate (that is, the proportion of women who are in work or looking for work) has been falling since soon after TurkStat?s data series began in 1988. I highlighted the fact that this reflects the combined effects of migration and falling agricultural employment, coupled with pervasive negative attitudes to women working.

Both Feminist and Conservative Women Comdemn of Comedy Show which Mocks Rape:

A sketch/shortplay took place in the first episode of a comedy show, Golgede Muhabbet, which is aired on Haberturk TV. It is even difficult for me to describe the sketch, but I have to highlight some aspects which aroused a great disapproval and is condemned immediately by feminists, as well as conservative women in Turkey.

Turkey’s Changemakers: Ali Nesin creates safe haven for students to tackle math