Female Engineers against Gender Based Discrimination at Work

The Women Engineers, Architects and City Planners Group (Women Engineers) speak up against gender based discriminatory job advertisements targeting men from job offering companies. The Women Engineers launched a campaign against this kind of advertisements and also against professional chambers publishing these adverts.

"These advertisements are a criminal offense"

Gülru Yıldız from the Women Engineers told bianet that advertisements containing discriminatory phrases such as "looking for a male engineer" or "military service completed" were last spread by the communication networks of the Chambers of Electrical Engineers and Food Engineers respectively.

The Women Engineers point out that this kind of advertisement is against the Constitution's article on equality, the legislation of the European Union and the documents of the International Labor Organization (ILO). Furthermore, these ads constitute a crime according to the Criminal Code.

The Turkey Union of Chambers of Architects and Engineers (TMMOB) as the women's umbrella organization and the related chambers voice the following demands:

- The TMMOB should not provide any means of spreading gender based discriminatory job advertisements.

- The TMMOB should appear as an intervener in court cases against gender based discriminatory job advertisements issued in the private sector or it should support its members who want to open a case.

The Women Engineers do not want to hear the excuse they have been confronted with many times, "We do not want to come across expressions containing gender based discrimination in any publications, seminars and meetings of the TMMOB and the related chambers; we do not accept excuses like "unnoticed" or "slipped of the tongue".

Still waiting for a Gender Based Discrimination Monitoring Secretary to be installed

In last year's board meeting from 29 May-1 June the TMMOB decided to set up a Gender Based Discrimination Monitoring Secretary within the union. Nevertheless, Yıldız said that this secretary has still not been installed. As reported by Yılıdz, the TMMOB Board of Directors has to take a decision accordingly. Only one woman is represented in the TMMOB Board of Directors: Gülay Odabaş from the Chamber of Landscape Architects.

The Women Engineers want the secretary to be established especially for support in cases of harassment and discrimination at workplaces or events as a point for legal and psychological help.

Women demand a quota of 35 percent

The TMMOB Women Conference will be held on 21-22 November. Yıldıy hopes that a new decision referring to the establishment of a Gender Based Discrimination Monitoring Secretary will be taken. Furthermore she expects a decision for a 35 percent women quota in decision taking places such as the board of directors or the advisory board. (TK/VK)