Women's Newspaper

Kadın Gazetesi is a weekly newspaper that began publication on 1 March 1947 under the title "Sosyal-Siyasi-İçtimai Kadın Gazetesi". As its name suggests, it was published to emphasize the place and importance of women in social life, to ensure their conscious use of rights, and to encourage their participation in the workforce.

Founding Purpose and Philosophy

Kadın Gazetesi emerged as a response to the trend in early Republic-era women’s publications, which from the early 1940s had increasingly become fashion- and magazine-oriented, portraying women solely as housewives and ideal mothers. The fundamental distinction of this newspaper from other women’s publications of the period was its much greater focus on political and social issues in its content.

In its first issue, the newspaper’s purpose was stated as follows: "We are launching to serve the thoughts, views, and aspirations of womanhood. The nest is built by the female bird. The nation’s social and economic affairs are always in need of the dexterity of women’s hands and the sensitivity of women’s hearts." The founders asserted that the Turkish Revolution had already granted Turkish women a place equal to that of advanced women worldwide, and therefore there was no need to debate the cause of gender equality. The newspaper’s true aim was to ensure the practical validity of rights that had already been granted in theory. Its founder and chief columnist, İffet Halim Oruz, examined this situation in her article titled "Our Causes" through three fundamental principles: whether women’s employment was compatible with the country’s structure, whether urban women were becoming overwhelmed by their new circumstances and becoming a burden on family budgets, and the shortcomings in child-rearing.

Instead of viewing women merely as mothers or housewives, the newspaper aimed to position them as integral participants in social life. It demonstrated this stance not by adopting the small format and ornamental female imagery typical of other women’s magazines, but by publishing in the large format of a newspaper. İffet Halim Oruz noted that they actively resisted pasting overtly female portraits on newsstands.

Publication History and Changes

Kadın Gazetesi continued its publication for twenty years, from 1 March 1947 until 1967 — a duration significantly longer than that of other women’s newspapers and magazines of the era.

Publication Day Changes: For the first six months, it was published on Saturdays. Following the publication of one issue on Monday due to the İzmir Fair on 18 August 1947, it began appearing on Mondays. However, because the printing press scheduled for Sunday publication was closed on Sundays, from 13 October 1952 onward it was published on Thursdays.

Publication Duration: Despite changes in format and content, the newspaper continued publication until 1979.

Editorial Team and Founder

The founder and chief columnist of the newspaper was İffet Halim Oruz. Over its long publication history, numerous guest writers contributed to its pages. Notable figures in its editorial team include Halide Nusret Zorlutuna, Hasene Ilgaz, Münevver Ayaşlı, Perihan Çambel, Cahide Üçok, Şuküfe Nihal Başar, Süreyya Ağaoğlu, Makbule Diblan, Lamia Onat, Kazım Nami Duru, Pakize İzzet Tarzi, Melahat Özgü and Mualla Anıl.

Content and Thematic Focus

Seeking to inform women on all fronts, Kadın Gazetesi devoted its pages to numerous political, social, and economic topics. This distinguished it from other women’s publications, which were dominated by fashion and magazine content.

Political and Social Issues

In addition to advocating for women’s rights, the newspaper addressed daily political events within the country.

Particularly, Turkey’s entry into the democratization process beginning in 1946 and the policies of the Democrat Party after 1950 received extensive coverage. The newspaper emphasized the necessity for women to fulfill their civic duties by exercising their legal rights to vote and stand for election. It criticized women’s inability to elect their own representatives in the 1946 Istanbul elections.

Education: Believing education to be the foundation of society, the newspaper published articles on children’s and women’s education, educational shortcomings, and potential solutions. Its writers themselves organized educational meetings to assist the Ministry of National Education. These meetings were attended by school principals, philosophy and pedagogy teachers, professors, doctors, and professionals from various fields.

Work Life: Encouraging women to enter the workforce and highlighting the importance of their role in the economy were among the newspaper’s primary objectives. It opposed policies that sought to remove women from economic life after 1946 and fought for women’s active participation in the economy. Through Hasene Ilgaz, Member of Parliament from Çorum and a newspaper writer, a bill was proposed to ensure social security for nurses.

Roles of Womanhood: Rather than portraying women solely as mothers or housewives, the newspaper positioned them as active participants in social life. It provided contemporary information on the importance of motherhood and introduced modern trends in women’s clothing and cuisine. It opened various courses for housewives and promoted them on its pages.

Exemplary Women: To promote understanding of the importance of women’s active role in society, the newspaper created a column titled "World Womanhood," presenting examples of successful women throughout history who had made significant contributions to their countries in social, political, economic, and educational fields.

Special Issues and Columns: Some issues were dedicated entirely to a single topic, such as "Fashion and Luxury" or the İzmir Fair. In the column "Let Us Know Our Country," Turkey’s historical and natural riches were introduced. Special issues were published for national holidays such as 10 November, 19 May, and 29 October.

Relationship with the Turkish Women’s Union

Kadın Gazetesi operated as a publication organ of the Turkish Women’s Union, which worked to enable women of the Republic to become more active and conscious participants in social life. It was also noted that the Women’s Social Life Research Institute, established in 1953, was founded to study women’s social conditions and ensure the effective use of existing rights.