Conservatism on the rise in Turkey

July 21, 2011

ISTANBUL

A recent survey reflects little progress on the women’s issues in Turkey.Both conservative and democratic values are being more widely adopted by Turkish society, according to a recent poll conducted as part of the World Values Survey.“I do not have any findings that support the idea that [Turkish] people have become more religious in recent years; however six out of 10 people believe that we should involve more religious facts in our lives instead of science,” said Yılmaz Esmer from Bahçeşehir University, who headed the team that conducted the survey.In this year’s survey, 44 percent of respondents said restaurants should be closed during fasting periods in Ramadan, a belief held by 39 percent in the 2007 poll.The survey also noted a high rate of people, 84 percent, saying they do not like the idea of having gay neighbors. According to the research, while ideological differences are not a big problem anymore, as they were in the early 1990s, race, religion and sexual orientation remain issues between neighbors.According to Esmer, the survey also reflected little progress on women’s issues.“Contrary to developed countries, the situation of women did not change in Turkey,” said Esmer, a member of the board of World Values Survey Association.He said it was “humiliating” to present the data on women’s issues to conferences abroad, noting that support for the idea that men can marry more than one woman is accepted by 23 percent of the Turkish population, up from 10 percent in 1996.

via Conservatism on the rise in Turkey – Hurriyet Daily News.