The panel on "Women from Kastamonu from Past to Present" by the History Department of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at our university was held online on 26th of April , 2023. A large number of viewers followed the panel live on Youtube.
After the opening speech of the panel, the moderator and the head of the Department of History, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şerif Demir stated that the contributions of the women of Kastamonu to the city will be discussed in the historical context and emphasized that women should be remembered not just one day but every day.
Stating that the value given to women is an element that indicates the quality and level of development of the society, Mr. Demir expressed his regret that women have not been given the value they deserve in recent years.
Speaking after Mr. Demir's opening speech, Prof. Dr. Cevdet Yakupoğlu made a presentation about the role of women living in Kastamonu in social life and charity work during the Seljuk and Principalities period.
Mr. Yakupoğlu gave information about the legend that gave Kastamonu its name, and conveyed the status of women during this struggle of the woman who took part in the protection of the city and the subsequent process of state formation.
Mentioning that women were highly visible in social life during the Seljuk period, Mr. Yakupoğlu emphasized that they played an active role as much as men during the war. He gave information about the foundation works carried out by Sultan Hatun, who played an important role during the Candarogullari Principality, and the relations established with other principalities through marriage in Candarogullari.
Citing the names of the rulers' wives during the principality period, Mr. Yakupoğlu emphasized that women were given male names from time to time, and that women and men were equal during the principality periods.
In the second part of the panel, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Mehmet Serhat Yılmaz made his presentation titled "Women from Kastamonu during the National Struggle".
Giving information on schooling in Kastamonu before and after the National Struggle period, the role of women at the front and behind the front, Mr.Yılmaz underlined the importance of the women of Kastamonu in the historical scene with the words Atatürk said about the Turkish woman.
Stating that Kastamonu women took an active part in the community life, Mr. Yılmaz emphasized that the women's rally, which took place on 10th of December 1919, had a first and important place in Turkish history.
Mr.Yılmaz, who touched upon the way of Independence and the role of Turkish women in logistical support in the War of Independence in 1920-1922, commemorated all the women heroes who supported, especially Martyr Şerife Bacı.
Stating that women who gained the right to elect and be elected after the War of Independence were also active in the political life of Kastamonu, Mr. Yılmaz said that they gradually withdrew from the political scene after 1950s.
Speaking at the last part of the panel, our University's Women and Family Studies Application and Research Center Director Assistant Professor Çiğdem Gülmez made her presentation titled “Today's Women from Kastamonu”.
Emphasizing that more scientific studies are needed to better understand the role of women today, Mrs. Gülmez said that all kinds of support should be given to improve the status of women.
Stating that the patriarchal system is still very decisive in determining the social status of women, and that what determines the status of women in developing societies is their achievements regardless of their gender, Mrs.Gülmez emphasized that although women are equal before the law in Turkey, they are considered to be in a lower status socially and culturally.
She underlined that 50.1 percent of Kastamonu's population is women and that women are behind in all levels of education, similarly in employment and politics. She also emphasized that half of the agricultural workers in Kastamonu are women, but they work as invisible family workers and they are deprived of social security.
Mrs. Gülmez stated that the young generation women of Kastamonu are more active in the fields of education and employment, they are entrepreneurs and they have achieved great success. Mrs. Gülmez stated that she admires the women of Kastamonu and concluded her speech by saying that women create themselves by producing with labor.