Gender Equality

Globally, women make up 49.7% of the world’s population, yet earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. One in three women experiences physical and/or sexual violence, 750 million women and girls alive today were married before turning 18, women still have only three-quarters of the legal rights of men, and merely one in four national parliamentary seats and workplace leadership positions are held by women. (Source: UNDP, World Bank).

According to UN Women, at the current rate of progress, more than 342.2 million women and girls will still be living in extreme poverty, and an estimated 110 million girls may remain out of school by 2030. An additional $360 million per year is needed to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment. 

The rise of the anti-gender movement threatens progress on gender equality and LGBTI+ rights. By pushing for traditional roles and opposing gender diversity, it fuels a backlash against the rights and protections of women and LGBTI+s, reinforcing inequalities.

These problems are deeply rooted in societies worldwide, and Türkiye is no exception.

Challenges in Türkiye

Türkiye has made progress towards gender equality, with a strong women’s movement advocating for equal rights. However, significant gaps remain:

• Lack of Political Representation: Women hold only 17% of parliamentary seats.
• Workplace Inequality: Women’s labour force participation rate is just 36%, compared to 71% for men. The gender pay gap is substantial, with over 30% of employed women working in unregistered jobs. Nearly 10 million women are outside the workforce due to caregiving responsibilities, a burden not shared by men.
• Gender-Based Violence: A critical issue, with estimates suggesting one in three women experiences physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. In 2023, at least 333 women were murdered by men, with most perpetrators being their partners.
• Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET): 32% of young women are NEET, compared to 16% of young men.
• Low Access to Education: While access to education has improved, a slight gender gap persists. Female illiteracy above age 25 remains at 5.7%, compared to 0.9% for males.
• Limiting Social Norms: Traditional gender roles limit women’s and girls’ opportunities and aspirations in education, employment, and leadership.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index, which tracks the progress of countries’ efforts annually, ranked Türkiye 129th out of 146 countries in 2023.

Impact of Earthquakes

The earthquakes of 6 February 2023 worsened conditions for women, girls, and LGBTI+s. UN Women reports increased violence against these groups due to service disruptions and unsafe temporary shelters. Poverty and education loss may increase child, early, and forced marriages, particularly among vulnerable communities. Women in agriculture, mainly unpaid family workers, have seen their livelihoods disrupted. 

Overcoming Challenges Through Solidarity

Women and LGBTI+s in Türkiye work through solidarity networks to overcome these issues. The women’s movement in Türkiye has made historic gains with an ecosystem composed of grassroots organisations, established institutions, and informal groups and activists. They are independent and autonomous, responding to crises, delivering necessary services, and advocating for change. 

Since 1998, women’s organisations have met annually in the Women’s Shelters and Counselling Centres Assembly to share experiences in combating violence against women, define common strategies, and establish a permanent communication network. Since 2003, on March 8th, women and LGBTI+s have mobilised in the Feminist Night March to “take back the night” and protest against violence and oppression. The Women’s Coalition has been fighting for women’s equal participation in society since 2002. With a network of over a hundred grassroots groups and civil society organisations (CSOs) of various capacities, they work in the capillaries of society.

According to a recent study on the relationship between donors and grantees, only one in five women’s organisations in Türkiye has an annual budget of more than £100,000 and no paid staff. Most are funded by private foundations, which creates uncertainty for the sustainability of their work. Human resources has been the most difficult cost to fund over the past two years. 45% of organisations feel that international grants do not prioritise local CSOs and 65% feel that there are not enough calls for proposals for gender equality work.

Our Approach to Promoting Gender Equality

We address these challenges by supporting organisations in Türkiye through three key mechanisms: 

• Supporting Gender Equality Fund: As the primary funder of the Gender Equality Fund of Support Foundation for Civil Society (Sivil Toplum icin Destek Vakfı – STDV), our partner in Türkiye, we’ve provided £49,029 through 12 grants. This specific grant programme funds CSOs in need of core and/or project funding. 
• Mainstreaming Gender Equality into our work: By integrating a gender equality perspective into other grant programmes targeting children’s rights, culture & arts, environment, and emergencies, we’ve provided an additional £1,151,000 to 42 organisations. 
• Building Stronger CSOs: Over the past four years, we co-supported the organisational growth of 10 CSOs, equipping them with the tools they need to be more effective, through the organisational development support scheme run by STDV.

Between 2018 and 2023, we invested a total of £1,2 million through 54 grants to support gender equality in Türkiye.

Who Do We Support

• CSOs in Financial Need:
  1. Few employees, reliant on volunteers and activists (Half of the grantees have one or fewer staff and 25% have no staff).
  2. Limited yet dedicated volunteers (The average number of volunteers per organisation is 40, and half of the selected grantees have 22 or fewer volunteers.)
  3. Need for human resources, rent, and related costs. Our grants consist of 45% project and 55% core funding.
  4. Desire to develop their organisations. On an index of 1-5 (5 being the most needed), applicants want to develop their financial sustainability (4.14) and organisational management skills (4.17) the most.

• High Demand for Grants: Only 8.5% of applications receive grants, but 65% of women’s organisations feel that there are not enough calls for proposals for gender equality work.
• Urban-Centred Organisations: We support organisations tackling multi-layered, complex and evolving urban issues related to advancing gender equality. 73% of our grantees were founded in urban centres with populations over 1 million. This parallels the reality in Türkiye, where the 23 cities with more than 1 million inhabitants account for 66% of the population.
• Limited Funding: 74% of the organisations did not apply to another donor organisation to meet their grant needs, as the Gender Equality Fund is the only local fund addressing the issue directly.

Making a Difference: Our Impact

Our Gender Equality Fund, launched in 2019, actively supports projects, campaigns, advocacy initiatives, and the growth of CSOs that promote gender equality and women’s rights. Our grants have:

• Offered legal and psychosocial counselling to women, girls, and LGBTI+s facing violence.
• Raised awareness of gender equality, violence, and sexual and reproductive health.
• Supported women’s economic, social, and cultural empowerment.
• Formed impactful collaborations to ensure equal access to fundamental rights and opportunities.

Building Solidarity Against Gender-Based Violence

Our grantee, the Yüksekova Women’s Association (YUKADER), founded in Hakkari, is challenging gender norms in a region often defined by traditional roles. With our grant, YUKADER set up an emergency hotline and offered free legal and psychological support to women experiencing violence. Their informative materials have reached over 1,000 women, equipping them with the knowledge and resources to combat violence.

“YUKADER is the first and only women’s association in Yüksekova, Hakkari. Through this project, we’ve raised awareness and become a well-known organisation in the fight against violence against women.”

Breaking Barriers, Empowering Women

Kazdağı Association for the Preservation of Natural and Cultural Resources, one of our grantees, challenged traditional career paths by establishing a women-led solar energy cooperative in the rural Kazdağı area, providing training and creating jobs.

“Thanks to the Gender Equality Fund, we’ve achieved our goal. We hoped to help women break free from social roles while increasing renewable energy in the region. We’re making progress towards our dreams, and the grant support was the crucial first step: the seed of the beginning.” 

Women and the Right to Health

Katre Women’s Counselling and Solidarity Association tackled critical issues through their “Women and the Right to Health” project, raising awareness on sexual and reproductive health and child, early, forced marriages in Erzincan. The association conducted house visits, a 12-week training with women, and public awareness campaigns. 

“This grant has increased our capacity to provide sexual and reproductive health training. It was our first venture in this field, and positive feedback from participants highlighted the urgent need for such discussions.”

Economic Independence for Rural Women

Women of Ravanda Association empowered rural women in Kilis to gain economic independence by employing marketing and social media specialists, establishing collaborations, and revamping their e-shop to sell handmade products.

“We help rural women gain economic freedom. Thank you so much for being with us on this journey that we have set out on with the idea of building a better life for ourselves, for our children and our families.”