A Proposal to Ease the Heavy Burden of Domestic Labour
Murat Aybars TuncaDomestic labour, a well-known form of unpaid labour, is widespread throughout many countries. Most domestic labour is performed mostly by housewives. Housewives often face uncertainty about their future because of a lack of adequate social security, regular income, and retirement plans. As a functional tool for transforming society, law plays a role in changing such social inequalities. In this article, we discuss how law can offer remedies to fix domestic labour problems. Drawing on feminist standpoint theory, this article explores how scientific methods can contribute to understanding and redressing domestic labour problems with to-the-point regulations. Feminist Standpoint Theory asserts that knowledge is socially situated. It contends that marginalised groups, such as women, are uniquely aware of social and political issues because of their lived experiences. According to this theory, research should begin from the standpoint of these marginalised individuals. By doing so, biases can be addressed, and a more just society can be achieved. In essence, it challenges the traditional objectivity of scientific research and emphasises the importance of diverse perspectives. In this context, this article discusses the significance of evidence-influenced policies in addressing women’s problems. While doing so, we will present the progress of Türkiye with examples of its efforts to tackle gender inequalities. The article acknowledges opposition from the men’s right movement, which seeks to reverse advancements in women’s rights in Türkiye. However, it argues that their arguments are ideological rather than based on evidence, particularly regarding property division laws. In this article, we focus on the matrimonial property regime, which is one of the many negative contributors to the problems of the performers of domestic labour. As a remedy, we propose amendments to the Civil Code.
Ev İçi Emeğin Ağır Yükünü Azaltmak İçin Bir Öneri
Murat Aybars TuncaÜcretsiz emeğin yaygın görünümü olan ev içi emek birçok ülkede yaygındır. Ev içi emeğin büyük bir kısmı ev hanımları tarafından gerçekleştirilmektedir. Ev hanımlarının gereğine uygun bir sosyal güvenceden, düzenli bir gelirden ve emeklilik planlarından yoksun yaşamları gelecekleri açısından belirsizlik yaratmaktadır. Toplumu dönüştürmek için işlevsel bir araç olan hukuk, bu tür toplumsal eşitsizlikleri değiştirecek bir işleve sahiptir. Bu makalede, hukukun ev içi emek sorunlarını çözmek için nasıl çözümler sunabileceğini tartışacağız. Feminist duruş kuramına dayanan bu makale, bilimsel yöntemlerin ev içi emek sorunlarının anlaşılmasına ve yerinde düzenlemelerle giderilmesine nasıl katkıda bulunabileceğini araştırmaktadır. Feminist duruş kuramı, bilginin sosyal olarak konumlandırıldığını ileri sürer. Kadınlar gibi marjinalleştirilmiş grupların, yaşadıkları deneyimler nedeniyle sosyal ve siyasi meselelerin benzersiz bir şekilde farkında olduklarını iddia eder. Bu teoriye göre, araştırma bu marjinalleştirilmiş bireylerin bakış açısından başlamalıdır. Bu sayede önyargılar ele alınabilir ve daha adil bir topluma ulaşılabilir. Özünde, bilimsel araştırmanın geleneksel nesnelliğine meydan okur ve farklı perspektiflerin önemini vurgular. Bu bağlamda makalede, kadınların sorunlarının ele alınmasında kanıtlardan etkilenen politikaların önemini vurgulamaktadır. Konuya ilişkin incelemeler yaparken Türkiye’nin toplumsal cinsiyet eşitsizlikleri ile mücadelede kaydettiği ilerlemeyi örneklerle paylaşacağız. Makalede, Türkiye’de kadın hakları alanında kaydedilen ilerlemeleri geriletmek isteyen erkek hakları hareketinin muhalefeti de değerlendirilmektedir. Ancak, özellikle mal paylaşımı düzenlemelerine ilişkin argümanlarının kanıta dayanmaktan ziyade ideolojik olduğunu savunmaktadır. Makalemizde, ev içi emekçilerin sorunlarına olumsuz etkisi olan birçok unsurdan biri olan yasal mal rejimine odaklanacağız. Çözüm olarak da Medeni Kanun’da bazı değişiklikler önereceğiz.
This paper addresses the persistent problems faced by women in domestic labour due to inherited inequalities. As a well-known form of unpaid and undervalued labour, domestic labour is common in many countries. A significant proportion of domestic labour is performed by housewives. This is the substance of uncertainty experienced by housewives who grapple with uncertainty throughout their lives without proper social security, stable income and retirement plans. Law plays a predominant role in changing such social inequalities as a functional tool for improving society.
In this article, we discuss how law can provide remedies to rectify domestic labour problems. This paper argues that legal reforms are needed to address this problem and focuses on changing matrimonial property regime articles within the Turkish Civil Code. The pervasive nature of unpaid domestic labour, predominantly carried out by women, is underscored, along with its adverse impact on women’s safety and dignity.
Drawing on feminist theory, this article explores how scientific methods can contribute to understanding and redressing domestic labour problems. This thesis critiques the concept of objective research, firmly arguing that science has historically neglected women’s experiences and perspectives. It strongly advocates for the inclusion of the perspectives of oppressed groups, particularly women, in research to provide a more nuanced understanding of social issues such as domestic labour.
This article discusses the paramount significance of evidence-influenced policies in addressing women’s problems, emphasising the need for qualitative research to capture the complexities of these issues. This acknowledges the pivotal role of the women’s movement in generating evidence and influencing policy changes, citing compelling examples from Türkiye, where progress has been made on women’s rights.
This paper proposes critical amendments to the Turkish Civil Code to alleviate the burden of domestic labour on women, especially in cases of divorce. The evaluation evaluates the effectiveness of the current property division regime. The article also notes the opposition of the men’s rights movement, which seeks to roll back the progress made in the field of women’s rights in Turkey. However, the study argues that their arguments, particularly in relation to property division laws, are primarily ideological rather than evidence-influenced.
The women’s movement criticised the former legal regime’s division of property rights, advocating that women should claim property acquired during marriage due to their unpaid domestic labour. While this change is an improvement, we question whether it truly achieves the intended goal. For instance, grant a claim on marital property to a spouse who devotes significant time to household matters align with the desired outcome? An illustrative example can shed light on this issue. Although it is not a scientifically proven phenomenon, in practise, there is a widespread example of men acquiring property before marriage with bank loans not in their name to avoid any legal claims because the debt was paid during the marriage; thus, the property was acquired during the marriage.
The proposed amendments to the Turkish Civil Code aim to prevent men from exploiting legal loopholes, such as acquiring property shortly before marriage, to avoid equitable distribution during divorce proceedings. In addressing legal loopholes that benefit men by amending relevant laws, such as Turkish Civil Code article 220/1.2, we can regulate presumptions like “…Properties that belonged to one of the spouses at the beginning of the property regime can be accepted as personal properties as per law only if they are not deliberately acquired right before the beginning of the property regime. In case of paying the debts of such acquisitions during marriage, it shall be accepted as an indicator of such deliberate actions.” regarding deliberate acquisitions of men made before marriage with loans not in their names to prevent any legal claim.
Issues experienced by women due to legal loopholes can constitute a basis for amendments only if they are detected in scientific research. Therefore, evidenceinfluenced policies are crucial for improving the quality and number of such presumptions. We emphasise the critical importance of evidence-influenced policies in developing effective legal solutions to women’s problems and advocate for data collection from divorced women to inform policy decisions.
Overall, this study comprehensively analyzes the challenges that women face in domestic labour and property division. It strongly advocates for legal reforms in the Turkish Civil Code, informed by feminist standpoint theory and evidence-influenced policies to address these issues and promote gender equality.
