Are housewives Erdogan’s greatest asset in the run-off?

Progressive women see their rights restricted by Turkish President Erdogan and his policies. Another term that can exacerbate this situation.

This is in contrast to Turkish Housewives, where Erdogan is very popular. After the 2018 elections, about 60 percent of the housewives surveyed said they voted for Erdogan. This is the peak among all social groups.

The president and his party, the Justice and Development Party, maintain a very conservative religious worldview. Women are diverted to take care of the family and children. This is exactly what seems to appeal to devout Muslim women. According to Spiegel, a woman at one of Erdogan’s campaign events said, “Erdogan has done that a lot for us women.”

Another says: “Erdogan gave Turkish women freedom.” In 2013, students and public sector employees were banned from wearing the headscarf. A weak economy causes headaches, but the current president is “the only leader we have in this country.”

On the other side of the spectrum, there are already fears of a victory over rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Some young progressive women are seriously considering leaving the country if Erdogan wins.

“As a woman, I don’t feel safe now, it’s miserable,” Irmak Kokar, 25, told SPIEGEL. People were staring at her hands with her boyfriend. The pals would have looked funny since the two live together, not married.

Progressive women’s groups are trying everything on social media to prevent Erdogan from winning the runoff. However, the results of the first round of elections leave little room for hope.