Turkish civil code (1926)
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Background
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During the Ottoman Empire, the legal system of Turkey was Sharia like other Muslim countries. A committee headed by Ahmet Cevdet Pasha in 1877 compiled the rules of Sharia. Although this was an improvement, it still lacked modern concepts. Besides two different legal systems were adopted; one for the Muslim and the other for the non Muslim subjects of the empire. After the proclamation of Turkish Republic on 29 October 1923, Turkey began to adopt modern laws.
Preparation
Turkish parliament formed a committee to compare the civil codes of the European countries. Austrian, German , French and Swiss civil laws (citizens’ laws) were examined [1] Finally on 25 December 1925 the commission decided on the Swiss civil code as an example of Turkish civil code. Turkish civil code was legalized on 17 February 1926 . The preamble to the code was written by Mahmut Esat Bozkurt, the minister of law in the 4th government of Turkey.[2]
Women's rights
Although the law covered many fields of modern living, the most important articles were about the women’s rights. For the first time women and men were acknowledged to be equal. During the former legal system both the women’s share in the inheritage and the weight of women’s testimony in the courts was half of that of the men. By the civil code the men women in the inheritage and testimony was set equal.
Also legal marriage was made compulsory and polygomy was banned. The women were given the right to choose any profession. .[3] Nevertheless women’s suffrage was still missing.
Aftermath
The civil code was the first step. On 3 April 1930 Turkish women gained gained suffrage in local elections and on 5 December 1934 full suffrage.
