Legal, Political and Social Obstacles for Headscarved Women Working at State Institutions in Turkey

This article aims to offer some remarks as to legal, political and social obstacles for women wearing a headscarf and working at State institutions. The first part focuses upon the historical background and the ideological context of the creation of the ‘new Turkey’, in order to explain why a garment revealing the affiliation to the majority’s religion is so controversial. The second part deals with the legal basis for the prohibition for headscarved women to work at State institutions, the political opposition to the use of the headscarf in State institutions, and the polarisation in the social understandings of the headscarf. The third part is a critique of the arguments for this limitation and takes three principles into special account: equality between men and women, secularism and State neutrality. Finally, some conclusive remarks are made concerning the prospects for resolution.