Day 23

Women
From a foreigner's perspective, women's roles in Turkey are quite confusing. Here is a sample of why. Fırst, every time I go to the village, I only see men around. There are never any women simply hanging out, which makes me feel slightly awkward, like the foreign monkey lady on display. Second, there's Nevin's complaint that village men leave all the hard work to their wives (have not been able to ascertain whether this is true). Third, there's all the Muslim women in headscarves. The fundamentalist sect still marry through arranged marriages. And finally, there's the modern, educated woman living in big cities like Istanbul.

After three weeks here, I still have trouble figuring out how all these paradigms can coexist peacefully, ıf at all. The difference between a modern woman and a covered woman represents such a monumental schism that it is hard to imagine how each can coexist without being limited by the acceptable mores of the other.

For example, living with your partner before marriage is generally frowned upon, even though this practice is somewhat common in big cities. To an American, where the concept of living with your boyfriend is as much of a socially accepted right as voting for the president. I get the feeling that this pro-choice female empowerment isn't quite as established in Turkey.

Which leaves me wondering how it all works. For the opposite sex, I'm sure it's more straight forward. Men everywhere are all the same.