Türkan Örs Baştuğ (1900 – September 27, 1975) was a Turkish school teacher, politician and one of the first 18 female members of the Turkish parliament.

Private life

Türkan was born to Mehmet Sabri and his spouse Abide in

Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452 (2022). It is a large and densely populated district on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus. It is border ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, then

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. in 1900. After finishing Bezmialem School, she studied philosophy in Darülfünun, the former Istanbul University. She graduated in 1925 as one of the first female students of the Philosophy Department. After the enactment of 1934 Surname Law, she took the family name "Baştuğ". Türkan Baştuğ married to Bekir İzzet Örs in 1937. The marriage lasted until 1946.

School teacher career

Right after her graduation, she began working as a school teacher for

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

and

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...

at Bosphorus High School. In the same time, she served as the principal of the girls' section of the high school. Additionally, she taught a brief time philosophy per procuration at Teacher's College for Girls in 1927, and at Istanbul Girls High School in 1930.

Politician career

According to the law of suffrage enacted in 1934,

Turkish women Women obtained full political participation rights in Turkey, including the right to vote and the right to run for office locally, in 1930, and nationwide in 1934. Article 10 of the Turkish Constitution bans any discrimination, state or pri ...

were granted to vote and run for a seat in the

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. As she saw a chance to enter active politics, she resigned from her teacher post, and applied for a candidate position by the

Republican People's Party The Republican People's Party (RPP; , CHP ) is a Kemalism, Kemalist and Social democracy, social democratic political party in Turkey. It is the oldest List of political parties in Turkey, political party in Turkey, founded by Mustafa Kemal ...

(CHP) for the 1935 general election held on February 8. She entered the 5th Parliament as a deputy of

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

. She became so one of the first 18 female members of the parliament. In a report about her electoral district she prepared for the parliament in 1935, Baştuğ noted that the tribes living scattered in the seaside area should be settled down, the marshes causing

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

should be drained, the mosque in

Elmalı Elmalı is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Antalya Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,433 km2, and its population is 40,774 (2022). It lies about inland, near the town of Korkuteli and west of the city of Antalya. Formerl ...

, which is believed to be built by the famous Ottoman chief architect

Mimar Sinan Mimar Sinan (; , ; – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha (title), Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman Empire, Ottoman architect, engineer and mathematician for sultans Suleiman ...

(c. 1488/1490–1588), needs restoration, the village teachers should be re-educated to prevent their rustification. Outside of her parliamentary work, Baştuğ participated at the 12th

International Congress of Women The International Congress of Women was created so that groups of existing women's suffrage movements could come together with other women's groups around the world. It served as a way for women organizations across the nation to establish formal ...

held in Istanbul between April 18–26, 1935, and delivered a speech on "The Powers and Duties of A Female Citizen". On May 25, 1935, she was elected a substitute member of the board of the

Turkish Aeronautical Association Turkish Aeronautical Association () is a non-profit organization with an aim of increasing public awareness and participation in aviation related activities and the national body governing air sports in Turkey. The association was founded with ...

(). She kept her seat in the 6th Parliament until the 1943 general election held on February 28. Örs Baştuğ served in the parliamentary committee for education during her term. Türkan Örs Baştuğ attended the parliamentary sessions wearing a modern hat instead of a

headscarf A headscarf is a scarf covering most or all of the top of a person's, usually women's, hair and head, leaving the face uncovered. A headscarf is formed of a triangular cloth or a square cloth folded into a triangle, with which the head is cov ...

, which was usual before the 1934 ban of religion-based clothing.

Later years

After leaving politics, Türkan Örs Baştuğ returned to her profession as a school teacher. On August 4, 1943, she was appointed teacher for philosophy at Anakara Atatürk High School. She retired from this post on October 5, 1963. Türkan Örs Baştuğ died on September 27, 1975.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ors Bastug, Turkan 1900 births People from Üsküdar Darülfünun alumni Turkish schoolteachers 20th-century Turkish women politicians Republican People's Party (Turkey) politicians Deputies of Antalya Members of the 5th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 6th Parliament of Turkey 1975 deaths Women's suffrage in Turkey International Congress of Women people