Research: According to female voters, there is no justice in Türkiye

In the research conducted by ZFA Research with 79 women in 6 cities, women chose to describe injustice instead of defining justice. The system that favors the powerful makes women feel second class.

ZFA Research examined female voter behavior in November and December 2024. It conducted interviews with 79 women in Istanbul, Ankara, Eskişehir, Konya, Samsun and Diyarbakır. Women from different political affiliations, age groups and socio-economic classes participated in the research.

The women were asked how they defined justice. Their first reaction was to complain that there was no justice in Türkiye. Instead of defining justice, the women preferred to describe injustice.

One interviewee described injustice as follows: “The more powerful you are in Türkiye, the more you are favored. This shakes that sense of trust and justice incredibly. I don’t believe that anyone has a sense of justice anymore, with the reference system everywhere and people acquaintances handling things.”

The women used examples from their daily lives to describe injustice. They talked about the inequality they experienced as a result of being women. They talked about how the sense of justice they tried to instill in their children was not reciprocated in social life. They complained about the unpunished crimes committed in their neighborhoods and the worsening consequences of income inequality.

They stated that in the absence of justice, society degenerates. They said that deepening inequality of opportunity pushes young people to alternative paths. They described a system in which the wealthy are powerful and the powerful are right.

One participant summarized injustice with the following words: “You can experience injustice everywhere. We experience injustice economically, we experience injustice in traffic. As women, we can experience injustice with the consciousness that we cannot do as much as them.”

Women talked about the feeling of being considered second-class citizens both at home and in society, intertwined with the concept of justice. They talked about the unbearable burden of care and the difficulties they experience in business life. They talked about the responsibility of keeping the kitchen balanced during the economic crisis and the violence they face in traffic.

Women stated that they were tired of being called incompetent. The concept of justice is not only a matter of the judiciary. It was defined as a deficiency that accompanies women's lives.

The injustices that children are exposed to are among the issues that hurt women the most. The increasingly obvious inequality of opportunity is seen as critical for children's future. Distrust in the education system is frequently mentioned when describing injustice.

Women have experienced inequality of opportunity in their own past. Their concerns about not seeing a better future for the new generations are high. Inequality is evident from kindergarten age onwards. Children’s access to quality information and language education is being discussed .

For women, getting an education is seen as a prerequisite for overcoming gender inequality in society. Inequality of opportunity in accessing education does not allow this. For highly educated women to find a place in the system, justice must be ensured.

The interviewees talked about the interview system, favoritism, and the importance of references. They cited injustice as an important reason why they could not stay in the system.

One participant summarized the situation as follows: “I studied, I am doing my master's degree but I still do not have a position. I look at my friends who have a position, what am I missing? I start to question myself, injustice in this sense is not being able to hold on to something.”

The ongoing sense of injustice has shaken women's trust in individuals and institutions. Impunity as a result of femicides is one of the main factors that undermines the sense of justice. According to women, criminals are either not caught or are not punished according to the nature of the crime they committed.

Many women suspect that the person sitting next to them on public transport may be a murderer. They stay home as much as possible and return home before dark. Women describe the justice system as a system that endangers their lives, not a structure that protects them.