The 8th of March is a turning point in the working women's struggles for equality
Cyprus International University, Women and Gender Studies Research Center (WGSRC) President Assist. Prof. Dr. Mihrican Aylanç stated that the 8th of March is marked as a turning point within the search for a world that is fair and equal for working women, and went on to say, "Although 8th March has been transformed into a day full of various celebrations highlighting the value of women, we must face the painful facts that created this day each year”.
Pointing out that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the difficulties in women’s lives has increased further, Aylanç elaborated, "This process lead to the inevitability of women's unemployment, increased overtime work and labor production".
Noting that women form a class that are, to a great extent, subjected to violence, Assist. Prof. Dr. Aylanç advised that due to their femininity, women are devalued, facing problems with relation to security.
Women, who make up a significant portion of the society's population, experience human rights violations
Aylanç advised that due to equality and security problems, women are faced with human rights violations and that in this respect, there is a need for a social struggle and unity.
Underlining that with this purpose, they have been working as WGSRC for two years, Aylanç informed, “As well as our public awareness raising activities, we have aid programs that provide social and psychological support to women, and we have also took the first steps in gender education in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, in the form of education in motherhood, which is one step in gender education, in an effort to improve the status of women”.
Noting that there is a significant number of academicians specializing in the field who are preparing to share their new research data within the “Women's Studies Special Issue”, to be executed within the framework of the universities internationally refereed journal folklore/literature, Aylanç advised that they plan on evaluating women external to the problem-oriented perspective, and instead intend to reveal the productive and creative aspects of women via cultural and artistic activities.
Informing that they are preparing to bring to life the Women and Gender Studies Master Program in the near future, Aylanç stated that with this in mind, the ‘Childhood to Adulthood Gender Workshop', that will be organized with experts, is within some of the steps to be taken in this direction.
Expressing that social peace, security and happiness can be made possible without the segregation of gender classes, Aylanç concluded, "It is a service to humanity to produce an understanding of bringing differences together, making every individual, along with their gender, a shareholder of every level of the social structure”.