Discussions of Turkish Women Parliamentarians on Women's Issues; Twitter Accounts Review

Female politicians establish relations with other women by using social media and monitor them. Within the frame of this relationship, they reflect their roles, social positions, creativity, discourses and stories to them. As another point is whether the discourses of female politicians sustain the existing sexist structure or administer a transformation in a positive sense. The problems concerning women can be listed as Physical and psychological violence, lack of education, marriage at a young age, adverse health conditions, inadequate employment and such. Women need to develop consciousness about these issues and have a cognitive competence in terms of what rights they have and how to reach them. Thus, women will be able to act on their own political decisions in these matters. The purpose of this study is to show how women parliamentarians, as a political resource, one of the four elements that are effective in political participation of the individuals, encourage women to inform and participate and how they direct them about the issues and problems they will participate. In this context, a discourse analysis of twelve members of the ruling party and the main opposition party's female parliamentarians on the social media will be conducted for the twelve accounts between January 1 and April 1 2018.

Keywords: Social Media, Political Involvement, Women’s Issues, Political Resources

Female politicians establish relations with other women by using social media and monitor them. Within the frame of this relationship, they reflect their roles, social positions, creativity, discourses and stories to them. As another point is whether the discourses of female politicians sustain the existing sexist structure or administer a transformation in a positive sense. The problems concerning women can be listed as Physical and psychological violence, lack of education, marriage at a young age, adverse health conditions, inadequate employment and such. Women need to develop consciousness about these issues and have a cognitive competence in terms of what rights they have and how to reach them. Thus, women will be able to act on their own political decisions in these matters. The purpose of this study is to show how women parliamentarians, as a political resource, one of the four elements that are effective in political participation of the individuals, encourage women to inform and participate and how they direct them about the issues and problems they will participate. In this context, a discourse analysis of twelve members of the ruling party and the main opposition party's female parliamentarians on the social media will be conducted for the twelve accounts between January 1 and April 1 2018.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Social Media, Political Involvement, Women’s Issues, Political Resources