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DOI :10.26650/SJ.2023.43.2.0097   IUP :10.26650/SJ.2023.43.2.0097    Full Text (PDF)

Social Attitudes towards Women’s Military Service in Turkiye

Mustafa Yücehan Akal, Barış Ateş, Raif Cergibozan, Melek Kırtıl, Adem Başpınar

The factors affecting the acceptance of women in the military have been analyzed under social, cultural, military, international, and political dimensions. However, studies conducted in Türkiye have focused more on internal practices. In addition, a historical narrative has also been emphasized through the female figures who have shown heroism in wars. This article aims to measure social attitudes under the cultural dimension regarding the enlistment of female soldiers. Data obtained from a descriptive survey of 382 respondents were analyzed using frequency distributions, statistical inferences, and the chi-square test. According to the findings, 79.9% of Turkish society supports the recruitment of women into the armed forces. This support is higher among women. Similarly, those with no military experience themselves or in their families support women’s enlistment in the army at a higher rate than those with military experience. In addition, contradictory results were obtained regarding combat missions. In conclusion, Turkish society is considered to want to see women in combat classes, but a general lack of information exists with regard to this issue. 

Keywords: Female soldiers, Social attitudes, Turkish Armed Forces, Combat duty
DOI :10.26650/SJ.2023.43.2.0097   IUP :10.26650/SJ.2023.43.2.0097    Full Text (PDF)

Türkiye’de Kadınların Askerlik Yapmalarına Yönelik Toplumsal Tutumlar

Mustafa Yücehan Akal, Barış Ateş, Raif Cergibozan, Melek Kırtıl, Adem Başpınar

Kadınların orduya kabulünü etkileyen faktörler sosyal, kültürel, askeri, uluslararası ve siyasi boyutlar altında incelenmektedir. Ancak Türkiye’de yapılan çalışmalar daha ziyade kurum içi uygulamalara odaklanmaktadır. Ayrıca savaşlarda kahramanlık göstermiş kadın figürler üzerinden tarihsel bir anlatı da ön plana çıkarılmıştır. Bu makale kadın askerlerin istihdamında kültürel boyut altında yer alan toplumsal tutumları ölçmeyi amaçlamaktadır. 382 kişiyle yapılan betimsel anketten elde edilen veriler; frekans dağılımları, istatistiksel çıkarsamalar ve ki-kare testi yardımıyla analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgulara göre Türk toplumunda kadınların silahlı kuvvetlere alınması (%79,9) desteklenmektedir. Bu desteğin kadınlar arasında daha yüksek olduğu yine aynı şekilde kendisi veya ailesinde asker olmayanların, kadınların orduya kabulünü askerlik tecrübesi olanlara göre daha yüksek oranda desteklediği görülmektedir. Ayrıca muharip görevler konusunda çelişkili sonuçlar elde edilmiştir. Sonuç olarak toplumun kadınları muharip sınıflarda da görmek istediği ancak bu konuda genel bir bilgi eksikliği olduğu değerlendirilmektedir. 

Keywords: Kadın askerler, Toplumsal tutum, Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri, Muharip görev

EXTENDED ABSTRACT


The purpose of this study is to determine what the social attitudes are about women’s participation in the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and their acceptance into all military classes. In Türkiye, women have been and continue to be involved in military duties in various classes and positions. However, the effort to increase the visibility of women in various social spheres, a phenomenon encouraged by modernization, has resulted in regulations and privileges regarding women. This process led to the debate on integrating women into various areas of responsibility within the armed forces to start much earlier in Türkiye than in many other countries. However, despite early progressive steps and societal acceptance and encouragement, women’s participation in the TAF has not reached the expected level. As of 2020, Türkiye has the lowest rate of female soldiers among NATO countries at 0.30%. Therefore, importance is had in having Türkiye explain how this contradictory situation regarding the recruitment of female soldiers relates to the current social context.

Not enough studies on female soldiers are observed to be present in the Turkish literature. Existing studies generally evaluate women’s disadvantaged position and internal sensitivities through the argument of gender discrimination. Revealing, interpreting, and illuminating the sexist discourses female officer candidates encounter during their education or professional life through primary sources has been the prominent theme in these studies. On the other side of the literature are the historical narratives that have evaluated the processes of women’s participation in the military through the discourses of important figures at the legal and political levels (Akgül, 2010; Altınay, 2000; Dalaman, 2022; Durgun, 2004; Eken, 2006; Erogul et al., 2023; Hürkan, 2016; Korkmaz, 2022; Kuloğlu, 2005). However, insufficient sources are found to reflect the thought patterns of the social structure regarding women’s participation in the military and their job descriptions in Türkiye. Moreover, the problematic history of civil-military relations is also evident in the issue of female soldiers. When addressing women’s participation in the military, a kind of dichotomy exists between the civilian and military spheres. On one hand, a desire is found for a balance in civil-military relations (i.e., no major rupture between society and the military), but on the other hand, due to the military being the manager of organized violence, women are evaluated on the basis of difficult conditions based on physical standards. Therefore, gender-based cultural transmissions combined with the physical and biological conditions of female soldiers have not only affected women’s participation in the military but also increased the distance between the military and society, thus damaging civil-military relations.

The Western literature on female soldiers has dealt with fundamental changes in the military system, especially with the end of the Cold War (Carreiras, 2006; Iskra et al., 2002; Kümmel, 2002; Segal, 1995). The professionalization of Western militaries since the second half of the 20th century (i.e., the end of World War II) have brought about a break with past assumptions about recruitment policies and military tasks. While these innovations within the military structure have improved the administrative and support functions of the military profession, they have also increased the representation of women in the armed forces. This has led to the establishment of various standards for female soldiers to have equal access to all roles. These changes have been debated in the context of group cohesion and military effectiveness, and sociocultural dynamics alongside gender issues have been key concerns for both those advocating restrictions regarding the roles of female soldiers as well as researchers arguing for the acceptance of female soldiers in all fields.

This study will not only make an original contribution to the literature on female soldiers in Türkiye but will also analyze how the image of female soldiers created in the social sphere and the norms associated with them relate to institutional arrangements. The first part of the study presents the theoretical approaches together with the factors that affect women’s participation in the armed forces and regulate their scope of duty to some extent. The second part identifies the findings on societal attitudes with a focus on Türkiye through a survey of 382 respondents and discusses these in relation to the sociocultural dimension of the theoretical framework. In this way, the aim is to examine the consistency of social perspectives and preferences in terms of existing regulations and institutional functioning regarding the phenomenon of female soldiers.


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APA

Akal, M.Y., Ateş, B., Cergibozan, R., Kırtıl, M., & Başpınar, A. (2023). Social Attitudes towards Women’s Military Service in Turkiye. İstanbul University Journal of Sociology, 43(2), 223-257. https://doi.org/10.26650/SJ.2023.43.2.0097


AMA

Akal M Y, Ateş B, Cergibozan R, Kırtıl M, Başpınar A. Social Attitudes towards Women’s Military Service in Turkiye. İstanbul University Journal of Sociology. 2023;43(2):223-257. https://doi.org/10.26650/SJ.2023.43.2.0097


ABNT

Akal, M.Y.; Ateş, B.; Cergibozan, R.; Kırtıl, M.; Başpınar, A. Social Attitudes towards Women’s Military Service in Turkiye. İstanbul University Journal of Sociology, [Publisher Location], v. 43, n. 2, p. 223-257, 2023.


Chicago: Author-Date Style

Akal, Mustafa Yücehan, and Barış Ateş and Raif Cergibozan and Melek Kırtıl and Adem Başpınar. 2023. “Social Attitudes towards Women’s Military Service in Turkiye.” İstanbul University Journal of Sociology 43, no. 2: 223-257. https://doi.org/10.26650/SJ.2023.43.2.0097


Chicago: Humanities Style

Akal, Mustafa Yücehan, and Barış Ateş and Raif Cergibozan and Melek Kırtıl and Adem Başpınar. “Social Attitudes towards Women’s Military Service in Turkiye.” İstanbul University Journal of Sociology 43, no. 2 (Apr. 2024): 223-257. https://doi.org/10.26650/SJ.2023.43.2.0097


Harvard: Australian Style

Akal, MY & Ateş, B & Cergibozan, R & Kırtıl, M & Başpınar, A 2023, 'Social Attitudes towards Women’s Military Service in Turkiye', İstanbul University Journal of Sociology, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 223-257, viewed 27 Apr. 2024, https://doi.org/10.26650/SJ.2023.43.2.0097


Harvard: Author-Date Style

Akal, M.Y. and Ateş, B. and Cergibozan, R. and Kırtıl, M. and Başpınar, A. (2023) ‘Social Attitudes towards Women’s Military Service in Turkiye’, İstanbul University Journal of Sociology, 43(2), pp. 223-257. https://doi.org/10.26650/SJ.2023.43.2.0097 (27 Apr. 2024).


MLA

Akal, Mustafa Yücehan, and Barış Ateş and Raif Cergibozan and Melek Kırtıl and Adem Başpınar. “Social Attitudes towards Women’s Military Service in Turkiye.” İstanbul University Journal of Sociology, vol. 43, no. 2, 2023, pp. 223-257. [Database Container], https://doi.org/10.26650/SJ.2023.43.2.0097


Vancouver

Akal MY, Ateş B, Cergibozan R, Kırtıl M, Başpınar A. Social Attitudes towards Women’s Military Service in Turkiye. İstanbul University Journal of Sociology [Internet]. 27 Apr. 2024 [cited 27 Apr. 2024];43(2):223-257. Available from: https://doi.org/10.26650/SJ.2023.43.2.0097 doi: 10.26650/SJ.2023.43.2.0097


ISNAD

Akal, MustafaYücehan - Ateş, Barış - Cergibozan, Raif - Kırtıl, Melek - Başpınar, Adem. “Social Attitudes towards Women’s Military Service in Turkiye”. İstanbul University Journal of Sociology 43/2 (Apr. 2024): 223-257. https://doi.org/10.26650/SJ.2023.43.2.0097



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Submitted10.04.2023
Accepted02.09.2023
Published Online27.10.2023

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