CHP Survey of “TURKISH WOMEN 2004”

The results of the “Turkish Women 2004” scientific survey conducted by the main opposition party social-democrat CHP (Republican People’s Party)’s Science Administration Culture Platform have been presented to the Turkish press on September 27, 2004 at the party headquarters in Ankara.
The opinion poll was conducted under the supervision of academicians in 11 Turkish provinces (Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Bursa, Diyarbakir, Erzurum, Gaziantep, Konya, Samsun and Trabzon ) with a total of randomly selected 2,100 Turkish women -- 300 of the women in the sample wore black veil, 600 wore turban, 600 kerchief, and 600 did not use any headwear at all.
I think the categorization of these women by the way they cover their heads is a most interesting approach since the way women cover their heads do reflect their overall political outlook in general, especially their views on secularism and religion.
The overall results of the CHP survey identified the following as the “top views” of the Turkish women in the sample:
1) The official weddings should be performed together with the religious “imam wedding.”
2) The “turban issue” must be resolved.
3) Turkey must be ruled not according to Islamic jurisprudence but contemporary laws.
4) Turkey should become a member of the European Union.
5) The state should respect human rights.
6) Religion is not the source of terrorism.
7) Cost of living is number one personal problem, followed by health issues.
Here are some of the questions and the survey results, broken down by the way women cover their heads:
Question: What is the most important political issue in Turkey today?
Veil: Turban (34 %), Terrorism (27.9 %)
Turban: Terrorism (24.9 %), Turban (23.5 %).
Kerchief or no head cover: Terrorism (first rank), European Union membership (second rank).
Question: What is your most important personal issue?
Veil: Cost of living (64.2 %).
Turban: Cost of living (55.5 %).
Kerchief: Cost of living (59.9 %)
No head cover: Cost of living (56.7 %).
Question: What is your second most important personal issue?
All women, regardless of their headwear, identified health problems as the second most important personal issue in their lives.

Question: Are the state agencies in Turkey respectful of human rights?
Veil: No (62.7 %).
Turban: No (57.4 %).
Kerchief: No (52.2 %)
No head cover: No (65.2 %).
Question: Are the sufficient number of female deputies in the Turkish Parliament (currently 19 out of 550)?
Veil: No (52.2 %).
Turban: No (64.6 %).
Kerchief: No (64.7 %)
No head cover: No (83.7 %).
Question: Do you support Turkey’s membership in the European Union?
Veil: Yes (47.0 %).
Turban: Yes (65.6 %).
Kerchief: Yes (65.4 %)
No head cover: Yes (76.0 %).
Question: Do you support the United States’ occupation of Iraq and Turkey’s response to it?
About 80% of the women surveyed said they were against the U.S. intervention in Iraq. 40% said they did support Turkey’s position on the developments in Iraq.
Question: Do you agree that radikal religious organizations are behind the terror acts in the world in general and in Turkey in particular?
Veil: No (60.0 %).
Turban: No (51.0 %).
Kerchief: Don’t know (39.8 %)
No head cover: Yes (43.5 %).
Question: Should Ataturk’s Turkey be ruled by contemporary laws or laws based on religion?
Veil: Contemporary laws (50.2 %).
Turban: Contemporary laws (72.9 %).
Kerchief: Contemporary laws (81.5 %)
No head cover: Contemporary laws (98.4 %).
Question: Do you have any savings?
Most of the women said they could not save anything from their incomes.
Question: Do you follow the fashion?
Veil: No (91.6 %).
Turban: No (75.3 %).
Kerchief: No (80.2 %)
No head cover: No (54.1 %).
Question: Do you use any make up or accessories?
Veil: No make up (90.6 %). No accessories (60.6 %).
Turban: No make up (65.2 %). Yes, do use accessories (61.3 %).
Kerchief: No make up (72.5 %). Yes, do use accessories (51.9 %).
No head cover: Yes, do use make up (77.4 %). Yes, do use accessories (76.6 %).
Question: Are you a member of any organizations?
Veil: Yes (10.5 %).
Turban: Yes (4.3 %).
Kerchief: Yes (2.5 %).
No head cover: Yes (7.2 %).
It is interesting that the veiled Turkish women are involved in a higher level of organizational behavior than all the rest, including those who do not cover their heads at all. 20.2% of the veiled women said they were a member of a religious community, compared to zero per cent for the non-covered women.
Question: If your husband brought home a second wife (Kuma), would you accept that?
Veil: No (90.7 %).
Turban: No (91.9 %).
Kerchief: No (94.0 %)
No head cover: No (89.5 %).
The fact that those who object to a second wife the least are those who do not cover their heads was a bit shocking for me. If anything, I would expect 99 % or 100 % of them to object to a second wife. It seems like the “modernity” in dress does not always automatically translate to modernity in other areas of personal behavior.
Question: Can you talk openly about sexual matters with your husband?
Veil: Yes (37.9 %).
Turban: Yes (54.9 %).
Kerchief: Yes (52.2 %).
No head cover: Yes (47.0 %).
The numbers for the “turban” and “no head cover” women are reverse of what many would have expected.
Question: Do you support the idea that women should be married by both the official state and the religious (imam) wedding?
Veil: Yes (85.9 %).
Turban: Yes (86.2 %).
Kerchief: Yes (77.2 %).
No head cover: Yes (74.4 %).
Here is another amazing result which disproves the popular misconception that “modern and secular” women are against traditional ways of doing things. The fact that almost 75 % of those who do not cover their heads do not see anything wrong in getting married by an imam shows the enduring hold of Islamic traditions in Turkey today.
Question: Do you think it is okay for your children to marry a foreigner or a non-Muslim?
Veil: No (80.1 %).
Turban: No (64.5 %).
Kerchief: No (58.9 %)
No head cover: Yes (53.2 %).
Question: What was your most favorite class in school?
All women agreed that Turkish Literature was their most favorite class in school.
Question: Do you support co-ed education?
50.5 % of the veiled women opposed the idea. But a great majority of the others supported co-ed education in Turkish schools.
Question: Do you favor the New Year celebrations?
Veil: No, it is a Christian practice (83.6 %).
Turban: No, it is a Christian practice (61.5 %).
Kerchief: No, it is a Christian practice (49.9 %).
No head cover: Yes (84.3 %).
Question: Is there a “turban problem” in Turkey today?
Veil: Yes (86.4 %).
Turban: Yes (86.7 %).
Kerchief: Yes (78.2 %).
No head cover: Yes (83.5 %).
This is another question the answers to which need to evaluated carefully since probably those who cover their heads and those who do not mean different things when they say turban is “a problem” in Turkey today. I wouldn’t be surprised if the former group think turban should be allowed in government offices while the latter insist it should not be, thus espousing diametrically opposed interpretations of the “problem.”

Question: Do you read books in your spare time?
Most Turkish women prefer watching television to reading books in their spare time. Among the most watched TV programs are the Turkish dramatic mini-series. The veiled women prefer religious programs over Turkish dramatic mini-series.
Religious Practices
Close to 50 % of the sample said they have attended Kuran School and 80% said they received religious training from their family. As most frequently performed religious practice, the Turkish women mentioned fasting and giving of alms (zekat).
A high percentage of the Turkish women in the survey also said that their spouses attend the Friday and Bayram prayers at the mosque.
When asked about their connections with any religious community, 20.2 % of the veiled women said they were a member of a religious community. All of those who do not use any head cover said they were not a member of any religious communities. Perhaps this also explains how the Islamic right rose to power in Turkey through superior grassroots organizational skills while most of the secular Turks shied away from getting involved in any organizational behavior at all.
Besides empirically revealing what the Turkish women are really thinking in 2004, this survey is very interesting for another reason as well:
It is great to see that the social-democrat CHP is really interested in what the facts ARE as opposed to what they SHOULD BE. That's a start.
CHP seems to be accepting that the consciousness of the masses is NOT a "false consciousness" that needs to be bent (or worse, ignored) according to CHP ideology. Respect for the majority is the first step towards rehabilitating Turkey's first and oldest party.
As long as CHP is interested in empirically verifiable facts, Turkish parliamentary system will have a healthy future.