New Model Offered to Battle Low Female Representation

* What if you were a woman? (Picture mash-up of Turkey's three main political leaders)

KA-DER (Female Electoral Candidates Support Association) released a statement today--on the 78th anniversary of Turkish women's acquisition of suffrage rights--urging the political parties to revise their quota system in their decision-making mechanisms.

"Current quota practices are not enough for the representation of women in decision-making processes. In election, women always show up at the button of lists. We don't want that. We want equal representation for equal political, social, cultural and economic equality in Turkey," the statement said.

The association's statement encouraged women to get involved in politics for the sake of their future--a future currently determined by a male mentality. "Only few women can resist this mentality nowadays," the statement continued, "As long as a solidarity culture among women will develop in every field, then women can end male dominance. As long as they involve in politics, they will prove themselves to be permanent, participatory and strong."

Reminding that women constitute 50 percent of Turkey's population with a paliamentary representation of 14.2 percent, the statement complained that no laws favoring women could be made that way. "This shame belongs to party leaders and all legislators. We are demanding our 275 seats out of 550 in the parliament."

The association also protested the new government bill to condense local parliaments saying that fewer women will be represented in the upcoming local elections in 2013. (ÇT)