Abstract:

Municipalities, as one of the important components of local government system in Turkey, are the main carrier of significant local responsibilities and services. It is argued that the gendered roles and relations make women the main subjects of local facilities and politics; therefore it is claimed that not only national mechanisms and politics but also local government, particularly municipalities and their services should be designed from gender sensitive perspective. This article aimed to examine the reflections of gender sensitive policy priorities over political and legal regulations in Turkey which have been holding a place in Turkish political agenda since 2000s. In this study, the legal and political responsibilities and obligations of local governments and municipalities in implementing gender sensitive policies at local level have been analyzed in the framework of KSGM National Plans, Prime Ministry’s Circular 2006 tarihli 17 sayılı and Turkish Municipality Code 2005/5393. In this vein, the study reveals the legal and political responsibilities of municipalities and the existing lacks in the regulations to provide gender sensitive local policies

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