Aydın Doğan Foundation Brings Stakeholders Together for Gender Equality

Aydın Doğan Foundation, which has carried out significant initiatives for many years to empower girls through education, most recently secured support from the European Union under the IPA III framework through the “Support to Rights-Based CSOs Working on Social Inclusion and Youth” grant program with the “Empowered Girls, Empowered Futures” project. Believing in the need for stronger and more effective joint actions to promote gender equality and participation, the Foundation organized the “Gender Equality Stakeholder Workshop”. The workshop aimed to build a sustainable collaboration network among public institutions, private sector entities, and civil society organizations focusing on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. During the workshop, the results of a needs analysis conducted for Aydın Doğan Foundation by Dissensus Research were also shared.

Candan Fetvacı: “Gender equality is not only essential for empowering women and girls but also an urgent need for building resilient societies capable of ensuring a sustainable future in these times of crises…”

In her opening speech at the Gender Equality Stakeholder Workshop, Candan Fetvacı, Chair of the Executive Board of Aydın Doğan Foundation, emphasized that despite recent progress, gender inequalities persist across many areas of social and economic life. She stated:

“As a foundation, we envision a world where women and girls can prioritize their own health and well-being, earn and manage their own income, make informed decisions about whether and when to have children, rise to leadership positions in business, science, and public life, receive equal pay for equal work, and make their voices heard more strongly. Gender equality is not only essential for empowering women and girls but also an urgent requirement for resilient societies to build a sustainable future in this era of crises.

We have always worked closely with public institutions, private sector organizations, and civil society. Our experiences show that stronger and more effective collective actions are needed to foster gender equality and participation. We believe that the stakeholder workshop organized under our ‘Empowered Girls, Empowered Futures’ project will create a common platform to build a sustainable collaboration network among public, private, and civil society stakeholders.”

An Important Step Toward the Empowerment of Women

The needs analysis conducted within the scope of the “Empowered Girls, Empowered Futures” project represents a significant step toward the empowerment of women and girls in Türkiye. The research provides an in-depth examination of the definitions and aspirations of empowerment among girls, young women, and civil society organizations.

The report explores empowerment across various dimensions, including economic independence (economic empowerment), the transformation of social norms and attitudes (cultural empowerment), access to education and healthcare services (social empowerment), participation in decision-making processes (political empowerment), and access to justice and legal support.

The findings reveal that the most critical aspects of empowerment are personal development (70.8%) and economic independence (68.6%). These results reflect young women’s desire to discover their own potential and stand on their own feet.

Girls and young women describe empowerment with terms such as “standing on one’s own feet,” “having a voice,” “transforming society,” “being oneself,” and “resisting.” These expressions highlight that empowerment encompasses both individual autonomy and the ability to create social impact.

Having a stable career, making independent financial decisions, and achieving self-sufficiency enhance both personal autonomy and the potential to create social change. Young women also believe that leadership is not an innate trait but a skill that can be developed through experiences (91.2%), social environment (71.3%), and education (63.5%).

The research indicates that efforts in Türkiye to empower girls and young women align closely with global practices. However, the main challenge preventing these initiatives from reaching their full potential is insufficient collaboration among public, private, and civil society actors. The report notes that “the February 2023 earthquakes have created the necessity for new avenues of collaboration.”

Exploring Collaboration Opportunities for Gender Equality

The Gender Equality Stakeholder Workshop began with participating organizations sharing information about their ongoing initiatives in this field. Participants were then divided into groups and asked to identify the top 10 most significant barriers to advancing gender equality. The responses were compiled into a list. In the following session, the groups focused on producing concrete, actionable solutions to address these barriers.

In the final session, participants discussed collaboration opportunities and shared practical ideas in areas such as multiplier training, online training programs for youth, summer camps, e-learning modules, and initiatives for International Day of the Girl Child.