ABSTRACT

The constructivist approach is more helpful than the neo-liberal theory of international regimes in undertaking an investigation. The neo-liberal theories yield insights into the identification of the regime, explanations of its formation, and the limits of external incentives for compliance. A constructivist framework allows for a theoretical conceptualization of activism or 'struggle'. Feminist struggle locates power in social structures and seeks to fight this power. Secularism and preservation of national unity against threats of ethnic separatism, communism, or Islamic revivalism have continued to be seen as primary values, serving as justifications for the violation of individual rights and freedoms. The policy process that led to the establishment of the Turkish National Women's Machinery, the Directorate General for Women's Status and Problems is very instructive as it shows the expanded range of actors involved in the definition and contestation of gender norms.