Violence against Women in Turkey: Reflections of the Increasing Conservative Political Climate Author: Dr. Aslıhan B. Öztürk, Hacettepe University, Ankara & The Foundation for Women's Solidarity Date: Jul 11, 2015 Domestic Policy , Political Analysis Violence against Women in Turkey: Reflections of the Increasing Conservative Political Climate Abstract This article focuses on the social and political conditions behind violence against women in Turkey. It shows that despite social developments towards modernisation and women’s struggle for freedom, the conflict that the discriminatory discourse and policies of conservative politics created -which aims to pull women back to their traditional domestic sphere- breeds violence against women. Gender Inequality and Political Conservatism Because of its contentious relation with modernisation, Turkey suffers from difficulties in its transformation process. Within ten years, the conflict that ‘counter-modernization project’ imposed by the conservative government has become quite tangible in social and political realms. The prevalence of violence against women, especially the rise of female homicides, or femicides, as one of the consequences of this conflict, and also the rising societal sensibility for women’s struggle make it necessary to analyse violence against women as a social and political issue. At the very heart of violence against women, there is gender inequality that stems from patriarchy, but lives on global capitalism, militarism, neo-conservatism and several dynamics of oppressive state mechanism. Gender roles that treat men and women unequally are based on discrimination against women in health, education, employment, participation in politics and decision-making and property ownership. The biggest problem in sexual healthcare is related to limitations on family planning and restrictions on abortion. Although there is no significant change in the legal framework concerning abortion, most public hospitals do not perform it in the last two years. Lack of privacy of the