Tracing Gender in Political Parties: A Case Study of AKP, CHP, MHP and HDP

My aim in this research is to find out if the gender-based inequalities are smilarly established in different political parties despite the ideological and political differences and how the dynamics in the background of these inequalities affect the equal participation in policy. This research, based on Feminist Methodology was compiled through in-depth interviews done with 30 women of different socio-demographic characteristics and actively doing politics in the provincial and district representatives of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Republican People’s Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and People’s Democratic Party (HDP) in Adana and Mersin Provinces between August 2016 and October 2017.The reason why this research was carried out in Adana and Mersin is that both cities have a multi-cultural structures and they provide the opportunity to reach a heterogeneous population that has an active mass support as the two are migrated from different regions of Turkey. The reason behind including four parties in the study that women with different ideological structure and political discourse have the potential to enable observing the gender issues and relationship in the local provinces and a close political representation and organizatonal level in the area The participation processes of the women in politics, how they have experienced the gender-based problems with the effect of taking part in different parties and they have taken part in this field with what coping strategies including the exclusion and support practices in their representation mechanisms are the main-topics of which I have aimed to make sense from both myself and the women that I talked as an insider gaining experiences for a long time in this field.The research has showed us that the women taking part in political parties had experienced common gender-based problems although they had different ideological and political frame of minds but also they have developed specific coping strategies and gains.