I admit it, I'm a bloke

It's hard to sound credible when writing about the postion of women in Turkish culture as someone who isn't Turkish and isn't a woman. I'll give it my best shot. Please bear with me and let me know if you disagree, or agree, with what I have to say.

Turkey is a battle between tradition and progressive thought, between Islam and the WASP club of the European countries. As with many other aspects of Turkish culture the role of women in society is a tug-of-war, fought with varying degrees of enthusiasm and success in different parts of the country.

As this guide is aimed primarily at visitors to Turkey let's talk about the differences you might notice upon arrival in Istanbul, or Ankara, or one of the coastal resorts (3 fairly different parts of Turkey). For me the first noticeable change is that women are not employed in restaurants, cafes and bars. Chefs, waiting staff, barstaff are almost all male. This is as true in all parts of the country. This is not to say that women are not being accepted into the workplace. Banks and offices, travel agencies, tour operators are all employing women and Turkey has it's share, well probably slightly less than it's share, of female entrepeneurs. What is different is the visibility of working women to the visiting foreigner.

This is also reflected in the clientele of eating and drinking places. Outside of 'touristy' areas you will find a scarcity of couples or unaccompanied women in many cafes and restaurants. It is not unusual to see 40 or 50 men chatting and drinking tea in a smoke filled room or on a sunny terrace without a single woman present. I am not surprised that many women find this intimidating, I find it intimidating as well. Guide books will tell women to seek out the Aile Salon or family room, not such a bad idea but it's a little bit like having to sit outside of the pub with a packet of crisps and a bottle of fizzy orange.