Democratic Backsliding and the Instrumentalization of Women's Rights in Turkey. Issue 4 (December 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Arat, Yeşim
• Is Part Of: Politics & gender. Volume 18:Issue 4(2022)
• Page Start: 911
• Page End: 941
• Publication Date: 2022-12
• Subjects: Gender rights -- regime change -- democratic backsliding -- women's rights -- women in Turkey -- instrumentalization of women's rights -- democracy -- authoritarianism -- Turkey -- institutional change; Sex role -- Political aspects -- Periodicals; Women in politics -- Periodicals; 320.082
• DOI: 10.1017/S1743923X21000192
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1743-923X

Abstract

Abstract: This article examines the instrumentalization of women's rights and the transformation of the gender rights regime in the context of democratic backsliding in Turkey. I show how the Islamically rooted Justice and Development Party governments and their allies used women's rights in constructing authoritarian rule and promoting a conservative gender agenda. The governing elites had different needs at different political stages and instrumentalized women's rights to meet those needs. First, they needed to legitimize their rule in a secular context, so they expanded liberal laws on women's rights. Second, in the process of backsliding, they sought to construct and legitimize their conservative ideology, so they reinterpreted existing laws to promote conservative goals. Finally, they wanted to mobilize conservative women in support of the newly authoritarian regime, so they built new institutions and marginalized existing women's NGOs. The article contributes to the literature on regime types and gender rights by shifting the focus from regime type to regime change.