Ay: Mart 2017

In women’s freedom struggle, discussion of “right to vote” goes back to 19th century, the time when “right to vote” campaigns were at their peak. Although “universal right to vote” has been imposed as a political reality from the time it was put in effect along with the West type of “liberal democracies” existing in many parts of the world; it is a subject of an ongoing discussion for us, women, who have been witnessing that liberal democracies have not brought about any kind of “freedom” and who are sure that it will never do.

When “right to vote” is presented on the basis of equality of woman and man, it will trap woman into a big delusion. Like many other subjects that liberal democracy puts under the scope of rights and freedoms, it presents a fait accompli, avoiding in depth discussion of theoretical and practical aspects of the subject, and an evaluation of the implementations with regards to the individuals who will exercise these “rights and freedoms”. This feature of liberal democracy is related to its state structure which will not let questioning of the political, economic and social mechanisms and will impose these mechanisms on individuals. As for the ones who question this state structure and its mechanisms have been labeled as opposing “equality of woman and man”.

The discussions related to women’s “right to vote” exist both in the past, and also today. Observing the discussions made during 19th century in the North America geography where these campaigns were at their peak, enables us not only to see the relationship between the mere “right to vote” and woman struggle, but also to think about concepts like woman as a political subject and political equalit