Özet:

Gender equality signifies that women and men are able to enjoy the equal opportunities and rights in a society. Political leaders, therefore, play a significant role in reconstructing and representing of women identity. Public opinion gains information and impressions regarding the politics of the state in various fields through internet, reports, government statements, official declarations, etc. The speeches on gender equality take a role in reconstructing identity and bring out the different representations. This study aims at analyzing the political leaders’ selected speeches on the internet concerning gender equality and women identity. In the study, the terms ‘gender equality’ and ‘feminism’ have been firstly defined within the historical and conceptual context. Following this, the speeches of the president of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Barack Obama, former president of The United States of America, between 2014 and 2017, concerning women’s place and importance in society, have been examined in a descriptive analysis. As a result of the study, it is clearly evident that the speeches of both leaders are supporting the legitimate rights of women such as decision-making, representation and working in public.