What would happen if Turkey was ruled by women?

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"If I run my country, I will establish an egalitarian economic order where there is an equality of opportunities and no one is left behind.

"If I run my country, I will prevent girls from being married at a young age.

"If I run my country, I will introduce legislation to keep carbon emissions in check so that climate change can be prevented.

"If I run my country, I will struggle against the arms industry and I will make efforts to establish peace.

"If I run my country, I will open public kindergartens.

"If I run my country, I will introduce the necessary legal amendments to ensure that women equally exist in decision-making mechanisms..."

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These answers, along with various others, have been given by women in response to a question by the SES Equality and Solidarity Association.

Developing a new webpage with the aim of showing what kind of a country Turkey would be if it was ruled by women, the association has asked women what they will do if they govern the country some day.

With the answers given by women on the webpage and under the hashtag #ÜlkemiBenYönetsem (#IfIRunMyCountry) on social media, the project aims to show how women's leadership is capable of making not only Turkey, but the world as a whole a more livable place.

Introducing its project, the association has once again reminded the public that healthcare workers, the majority of whom are women, stand at the very center of the pandemic, which is the biggest crisis of the century. At this point, the association has further underlined that the countries which have managed to tackle the pandemic best are also governed by women. However, only 25 world countries are headed by them.

The SES Equality and Solidarity Association believes that women need to play an equal and effective role in policy- and decision-making mechanisms. It has developed this webpage for this very reason.

Women can enter the webpage www.sesdernegi.org/ulkemi-ben-yonetsem, use the hashtag #ÜlkemiBenYönetsem (#IfIRunMyCountry) and share, in one-sentence messages, how they will run Turkey if they become elected or appointed leaders some day.

'Women displayed an exemplary leadership'

Gülseren Onanç, the Founding Chair of the SES Equality and Solidarity Association, has noted that the success of women leaders in managing the pandemic process has inspired them to launch this project:

"Today, there are only 25 countries with women as their presidents or prime ministers. In fact, women politicians have managed the pandemic process with success and displayed an exemplary leadership.

"We believe that when women's leadership equally exists in policy- and decision-making mechanisms, a country and the world will be more livable. We have developed the '#IfIRunMyCountry' webpage with this aim."

Indicating that they want women to see themselves as the appointed or elected leaders of their country, Onanç has asked women to share it with one sentence how they would govern Turkey in such a case.

"If they were elected or appointed to decision-making mechanisms, what decisions would they take? What would they change? How would they behave? If women ruled their country, what kind of a place Turkey and the world would be," women are asked as part of the project.

When women enter the website, their messages will be visualized. They can then share these images on social media. A report will also be prepared based on the messages shared with the association. (EMK/SD)