EOI
27,8
692
Equal Opportunities International
Vol. 27 No. 8, 2008
pp. 692-708
# Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0261-0159
DOI 10.1108/02610150810916758
Constraints on women politicians
in Northern Cyprus
G
€
oozde Yirmibeso
gglu
Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the specific reasons for the Turkish women in the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus not reaching the same level of achievement in the political
sphere as their male counterparts. The aim is to draw attention to the extremely low participation of
women in politics (6 per cent) and suggest possible solutions to increase it.
Design/methodology/approach – The study consists of interviews with seven women who
played an active role in politics and who are still in the political arena as parliamentarians or
ministers.
Findings – It was found that the major political problem of the island, ‘‘the Cyprus problem’’, has
had a significant impact on the confinement of women in the private sphere. In addition, the divided
land constitutes a higher restriction on women. Moreover, gatherings in coffeehouses and the time of
such meetings are important difficulties. Furthermore, the women’s branches of the political parties
constitute a serious barrier.
Research limitations/implications – The study focuses on a part of a small island, Cyprus.
Therefore, it was possible to interview only seven women politicians.
Practical implications – This paper is functional and interesting for those working with gender
equality, particularly the obstacles that women face and their secondary role in the political arena.
Originality/value – This paper provides new empirical data on gender equity in the context of the
Turkish Cypriots and critically analyzes the specific situation of women politicians living on the
island.
Keywords Women, Politics, National cultures, Cyprus
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Cyprus, a beautiful island in the north-east of the Mediterranean Sea with a land
area of 3,572 square miles, is the third largest Mediterranean island after Sardinia and
Sicily. It lies about 40 miles south of Turkey, 60 miles west of Syria and 500 miles from
Greece. The island has an important location and a key position in the Eastern
Mediterranean. Mainly two different communities, Turks and Greeks, live on the
island. Due to the severe conflict between the two, particularly after 1963, in July 1974,
the island was divided into two parts: the North where the Turks live and the South
where the Greeks live. The approximate population of the Turks living in Northern
Cyprus is 200,000 and that of the Greeks living in the South is 700,000. This population
ratio is reflected equally and sensibly in the division of land between the two
communities.
In addition to these two communities, each governed by its own Republic, two
British sovereign military bases exist on the island. As Angelides comments, ‘‘the
population of Cyprus is no longer homogeneous. Societies and minorities are created
and participate actively in the country’s life’’ (Angelides et al., 2004, p. 313). Since the
island was formerly under the rule of the British, it is still possible to see the effects on
the community today. For example, although the exact number is unknown, there are
many British citizens living permanently on the island and the Cypriot women that
were interviewed during this study stressed that the men of their island are different
from those in Turkey in that they are quite submissive in the home sphere while
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