Wanted: Men to boycott male-only panels on Turkish TV
Women have regressed from a mere minority to a real rarity on Turkish political TV programs, and a protest movement is finding little support from their powerful male colleagues.
Since the July 15 attempted coup, the Turkish political sphere has been experiencing a gradual but perceptible masculinization. Increased security threats, expanded military operations into Syria and southeastern Turkey, emergency law, and continuing arrests and purges are facts of daily life now. This testosterone trend can also be seen on daily TV programs.
For most Turks, TV is their only source of information. Almost every night there are political talk shows featuring five to seven pundits focusing on a current issue. These shows are aired during prime time in the evening and they last two to three hours. For years, feminists have battled to have headscarved participants on these shows, yet as of late we see almost no women except for the moderator, whose personal views and analyses are rarely voiced.
