Abstract:

The main objective of this article is to understand the causes of women's disadvantaged status and to be able to produce solutions to address gender inequality. Specifically, it was aimed to examine the reasons underlying destructive behaviors such as violence against women from a psychological point of view. First, findings about the disadvantaged status of women were reviewed. It was discussed how and why gender roles are internalized by individuals within the scope of the empirical studies and it was argued that these processes may be the primary reasons for the disadvantaged status of women. Then, the position of women in Turkey and the devastating social events they are exposed were examined. Findings indicate that women have internalized their disadvantaged status. After that, the reasons for the disadvantaged status of women in the whole society were discussed within the framework of the System Justification Theory. Finally, the active role of the media in justification of gender roles was discussed, and then findings about the women’s and men's representations in the media were mentioned. Proposals for the elimination of social problems stemming from gender were discussed in light of the information provided.

Keywords: