A study of the place and importance of women in politics: The case of Tunceli

This study has attempted to determine the place and importance of women in politics in Tunceli as perceived by women in Tunceli. For this purpose, the study has determined that where women see themselves in politics, where they want to be and the obstacles to women’s participation in political life by collecting data through semi- structured questions. Data have been collected from 195 women of 18 years and over from Tunceli by using the random sampling method. According to the findings, women in Tunceli do not see themselves as playing a significant role to get elected, but participating in political events. It has been concluded that women in Tunceli where majority of people identify themselves as Alevi/Kızılbaş believe that this identity has a positive impact on their freedom and participation in political life. Many women in Tunceli stated that they would like to participate in politics as a parliamenter. This study has arrived to the conclusion that in Tunceli even though there is no discrimination between genders, the current political situation in Turkey affects Tunceli therefore women cannot get rid of being the object of the politics. This study has arrived to the conclusion that women in Tunceli as well as in Turkey and all over the world may get rid of being object of the politics and become a subject only if it is considered as a democratic problem to be solved.