Strong in the Movement, Strong in the Party: Women’s Representation in the Kurdish Party of Turkey

Abstract

This article shows how extant theories on women's representation in parties can only partially explain the Kurdish ethno-nationalist party's exceptional level of women's descriptive representation vis-à-vis the Turkish average. It demonstrates that women's very high level of representation in the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) can be better understood by examining the interaction between party-related and movement-related factors. Drawing on extensive empirical research, the study demonstrates that the party's leftist ideology, along with the mobilisation strategies and needs of the movement, have had a decisive impact in creating the conditions for women's self-assertion and their taking positions of power within the party, including the adoption and scrupulous implementation of a voluntary party gender quota. The study suggests that, in the case of parties closely tied to broader social movements, it is the relationship between the two organisations (party and movement), rather than just the former, that should be analysed. This is particularly evident in the case of ethno-nationalist parties that emanate from highly mobilised or even armed movements.Women continue to be under-represented as voters, elected officials and political leaders in many countries in spite of a rising global trend in the last two decades. Studying the various factors and mechanisms that affect women's representation in political institutions remains crucial for understanding and perhaps for improving contemporary democracies. The growing scholarship on gender and politics demonstrates that women's political representation varies dramatically across countries and often in parties within the same country. This article aims to contribute to the debate on women and politics, with particular reference to the role of political parties regarding intra-country variations in women's descriptive representation. Focusing on the case of the Kurdish ethno-nationalist party in Turkey, currently called the 'Peace and Democracy Party' (BDP, Barış ve Demokrasi Partisi), 1 this article shows how extant theories can only partially explain this party's exceptional level of women's descriptive representation vis-à-vis the Turkish average. This case is particularly puzzling for two reasons. First, scholars working on gender and nationalism have largely regarded the latter to be an ideology at odds with gender balance and women's emancipation in the political sphere (EnloeArticle Sahin-Mencutek 471 representation in the BDP can be fully understood by examining the interaction between party ideology and the mobilisation strategies of the ethno-nationalist movement. Combining with the fertile ground provided by the party's leftist ideology, the mobilisation strategies and needs of the broader ethno-nationalist Kurdish movement have had a decisive impact in creating the conditions for women's self-assertiveness and their taking positions of power within the party, including the adoption and scrupulous implementation of a voluntary party gender quota.This case ...

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