Illiterate Women in Turkey

(Diyarbakir, Turkey) A study conducted in the Diyarbakir District of southeastern Turkey by a women's group found, among many results, that 80 percent of women are illiterate.

From TurkishDailyNews:

A study, conducted by the Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality Center for Women's Issues (DIKASUM), with 472 married women in 97 districts and villages in Diyarbakir, has showed that 80 percent of women are illiterate, 16 percent were forced into berdel marriage (a southeastern tradition where families exchange daughters) and 43 percent gave birth to children between the ages of 14 and 18, reported the Dogan News Agency.

There's more at the link, including this nugget:

" ... some women don't even know the name of the city, district or village they live in."

There's no denying the fact that many women are denied education because Islamic traditions discriminate against women and Turkey is 99.8 percent Muslim. However, there is inconsistency regarding the reported literacy rate. According to The World Factbook estimate, more than 78 percent of Turkish women are literate. Therefore, the figures published in the DIKASUM study appear to be only applicable to the southeastern region of Turkey and not the whole country.

Furthermore, the Diyarbakir District is adjacent to the borders with Iraq, Syria and Iran and governed by democratically-elected local authorities. With universal suffrage, this means that the entire region is solidly patriarchal since illiterate women are unprepared to vote rationally in elections. Logically, half the population will be inclined to follow the guidance of fathers, brothers and husbands when voting, or not vote. In effect, women have been disenfranchised in southeastern Turkey. Their voices are not being heard and they don't even know it.