The third symposium titled “Media and Women” was held, organized in cooperation with Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication, Journalism Department, the Human-Centered Communication and Application Center (İLİMER), and the Journalism Club. In the program, where the position of women in social life and perspectives on women in the media sector were discussed in detail, with the participation of important figures in the field, Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan said, “We must stop asking for positive discrimination for women.”
The symposium was held in two sessions at the South Campus Fuat Sezgin Conference Hall. The event was moderated by the Head of the Journalism Department, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay, and the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Communication, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahar Muratoğlu Pehlivan.
In the first session of the event, Dr. Lecturer Ceren Saran Doğan from Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication, TRT Spor reporter Şeyda Şenürek, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nil Çokluk, a faculty member from Hatay Mustafa Kemal University Faculty of Communication, participated as speakers.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay: “March 8 is portrayed as a day for buying diamonds, flowers, or kitchen appliances”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Esra Atalay, Head of the Journalism Department at Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication, who delivered the opening speech of the event, emphasized that the media goes beyond its purpose in evaluating women's status by making negative assessments of women. Atalay said; “The media is an important structure that determines and shapes women's position in society, but it also serves as a structure that constantly reproduces negative judgments it creates about women, therefore its responsible aspects appear to outweigh its contributions. March 8 is actually experienced like a celebration, of course, this is also something brought about by the capitalist system, but it can be portrayed as a day for women to buy diamonds, flowers, or kitchen appliances. In fact, March 8 is a day of struggle. It is a day when women celebrate their struggles and achievements over the years, and we need to be aware of this. We need to remember its combative side that comes from that historical perspective, not its aspect within the capitalist system.”
Dr. Lecturer Ceren Saran Doğan: “The Struggle for Women's Rights Begins Unequally”
Dr. Lecturer Ceren Saran Doğan from Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication, Radio, Television and Cinema Department, who spoke about the historical process in the development of women's rights struggle and media, said; “The history of the struggle for women's rights dates back to the 1840s. These were times when modern capitalism developed and modern societies emerged. The demands of the women's rights struggle of that period included fundamental rights. Rights such as equality in education, the right to acquire property, the right to participate in political life, demands for equal citizenship, and freedom in marriage and divorce, which include constitutional rights stemming from being human, were demanded. In the 1840s, when the class struggle began in Europe and America, with various actions and revolutions in Europe and classes positioned against each other, comparing the working class and the bourgeoisie, the women's rights struggle began unequally. In the late 1800s, as journalism was forming and women journalists entered the general world stage, and as the standard news form we know today was emerging, women were employed to create relevant news and columns on topics of interest to women, such as fashion, domestic issues, decoration, furniture, home economics, and kitchen management.”
Şeyda Şenürek: “I am the only female reporter working for TRT Spor Istanbul”
TRT Spor reporter Şeyda Şenürek, who noted the increase in female reporters with the development of digital media and spoke about her career journey in sports journalism, said; “When I entered the Faculty of Communication in 2012, I had decided to pursue a career in sports. From childhood, I was interested in every branch of sports. At that time, there weren't as many women in sports media as there are today, so I received a lot of negative reactions from my surroundings. I did a voluntary internship in my first year of university. My career journey began in radio, far from sports. I worked at TRT Harbiye radio for eight months, where I was a program coordinator. What made me stand out from my classmates was starting my internship very early. When I moved to TRT Spor, I was in my second year of university, and after eight months of my journey, I started working as an intern at TRT Spor. The area I always wanted to advance in was the field, meaning being close to athletes, reflecting their excitement and post-match adrenaline onto the field, and being with technical directors and head coaches. I had always dreamed of that. Currently, I am the only female reporter working in the TRT Spor Istanbul service. In the past, our presence felt strange because there weren't many female reporters in the field, but now that the number of my female reporter colleagues in digital media has increased significantly, we are very helpful in supporting each other.”
The second session of the March 8 Media and Women Symposium was moderated by the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Communication, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahar Muratoğlu Pehlivan.
In the second session, Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Advisor to the Rector at Üsküdar University, and author and editor Sibel Öz expressed their views.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahar Muratoğlu Pehlivan: “March 8 is the Symbol of Our Struggle for Rights”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahar Muratoğlu Pehlivan, who delivered the opening speech of the second session of the symposium, underlined that March 8 is a struggle for legal rights. Pehlivan said; “March 8 is important for us because it is the symbol of the struggle for rights. This struggle is considered an important day to raise more awareness about the difficulties women face in inequalities at home, in professional life, and in social life, in every area of life, and to seek rights. We are here today because we aim to contribute more to the struggle against inequality.”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan: “As Women, We Are Very Resilient Beings”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, who drew attention to the social importance of March 8 and the problem of abuse women face in academia, said; “I attach great importance to the celebration of March 8 International Women's Day with the aim of raising awareness. The world of academia has its own difficulties. There is a significant problem of abuse faced by women. There is also a career journey for women that progresses with pressures created by male academics. As women, we are very resilient beings. There have also been women around me who turned this career journey into an advantage, and I believe they are the people who inflict the most severe damage on the women's movement, meaning they are toxic individuals as harmful as abusive men.”
“We Must Stop Asking for Positive Discrimination for Women”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, who underlined that women are strong and free despite facing difficulties in social life, said; “We must stop asking for positive discrimination for women; this is one of the fundamental problems. We now need to stop the hidden positive discrimination applied to men. Positive discrimination is already applied to men in every aspect. Women are constantly expected to be better and do more than men in every aspect. This is why we are always forced to be in a state of proving ourselves. The rougher and more difficult the path, the higher our training capacity and resilience rate. I think every woman sitting in front of us here is very lucky. Being able to study here, to participate in these conversations, is very privileged. Whenever a women's issue comes up, we are offered opportunities to work comfortably in the field of women's rights; that is, every woman can work in the field of women's rights. A tremendous freedom has been offered to women.”
Sibel Öz Arslan: “Encountering Inspiring Figures Is Hopeful”
Author and Editor Sibel Öz Arslan, who spoke about the position of women in the literary world, said; “Being a woman in publishing, although the literary world is mostly an area where women play a role, seeing the number of women decrease as levels rise makes me ponder. This situation points to the difficulties in advancement within the sector and the obstacles women face in rising to managerial positions. However, encountering inspiring figures such as some female editors-in-chief we have recently met is a hopeful development. It is possible to say that female writers show a significant presence in the literary scene. However, understanding and evaluating the underlying conditions of this presence can help us understand women's writing processes and their effects on the works they write. Virginia Woolf's ‘a room of one's own’ concept emphasizes the importance of an independent space for female writers to sustain their creativity. This is a fundamental requirement that must be provided for women to develop their writing processes and works.”