An event titled ‘Women from the Perspective of Social Rights on the 100th Anniversary of the Republic’ was organized by Üsküdar Üniversitesi Vocational School of Health Services. Head of Üsküdar Üniversitesi SHMYO Social Security Program, Lecturer Orse Demirel, participated in the event. Demirel drew attention to the importance of social rights, emphasizing that social rights hold a particularly significant place for women.
The online event was moderated by Üsküdar Üniversitesi SHMYO First and Emergency Aid Program Head, Lecturer Ayşe Bağlı.
“These rights make individuals visible in society”
Head of Üsküdar Üniversitesi SHMYO Social Security Program, Lecturer Orse Demirel, underlined why social rights are important. Demirel stated; “Social rights are rights that impose positive obligations on the state. These rights make individuals visible in society. They are also rights aimed at reducing inequality and injustice in society. Precisely for this reason, I wanted to evaluate women from the perspective of social rights. Social rights hold a very important place for segments of society likely to face inequality, injustice, and discrimination, namely employees, the unemployed, the elderly, the disabled, children in need of protection, and women. We can classify social rights as; the right to work, the right to social security, the right to fair wages, the right to form trade unions and collective bargaining, the right to education, the right to health, the right to nutrition, and the right to housing and shelter,’ she said.
“One should not forget Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's special interest”
Speaking about women's social rights in the post-Republic era, Demirel said; “With the proclamation of the Republic, we see that legal regulations enabling women to enter the public sphere, structural reforms, and the establishment of a more institutional structure accelerated. In all of this, one should not forget Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his special interest in these matters. I would like to remind his contributions to women's presence in both working life and social life with these words: ‘If a society is content with only one of its genders gaining what the times require, that society remains more than half deficient. If a nation wishes to develop and civilize, it must especially accept this point as fundamental.’" she stated.
Those who do not give up the struggle win
Demirel stated that when looking at the years women gained the right to vote and be elected across countries, Turkey ranked ahead of many nations, and she spoke about women becoming visible in social life and related practices. Demirel said; “We can see many examples in newspaper reports, such as women participating in competitions as athletes, appearing as theater actors, and Sabiha Gökçen taking part in working life as a female pilot. In their achievements, women consistently emphasize the Republic and its contributions, stating that they continue and embrace them. Of course, from the status and implementation of social rights, we have also seen that merely having these rights is not enough. It is necessary to continue the struggle for these rights. Therefore, we can say that the Republic's courageous steps, taken within the existing conditions, have deeply affected women's lives, and undoubtedly, the impact of those steps continues to this day. As a final remark; ‘Those who do not give up the struggle win,’ I would like to conclude.” she said.