PERCEIVED DISCRIMINATION IN TURKEY
because of the creator. However, in the different stages of the focus group meeting,
Z. has made the following sentences that we connect with the marker (...):
"It is a great injustice to differentiate people based on their race, class, and
social status. They divide people on this basis. (…) But Syrians are much
more prioritized in our country. (…) Go to the street at 11:00-12:00. There
are many Syrians on the roads. At ATM's, they're trying to protect themselves from the cold. Why do you let them in this country? Why do you
put us in risk? (…) They have heroin, marijuana, all kinds of nasty things.
The best practising Muslims are Turks. It has been created an image that
the Arabs are good practising Muslims. Then what happens? We pity the
Arabs. As doing that, we become pitiful ourselves." 18
Another crucial and thought-provoking finding obtained from the fieldwork is that there are a large number of people who have a strong opinion that there is no discrimination against women. 41.64 per-cent of the
interlocutors stated there is no discrimination against women, and 10.15 percent of them said that discrimination against women rarely observed in Turkey. On the other hand, there is no statistical significance on the relationship
between the perception of gender-based discrimination and the gender of the
interlocutors. While almost half of the sample was women, they do not think
there is discrimination against women. (See Graph 5).
In the focus group meetings, most of the women did not object to the arguments that rather than being subject to discrimination, women prioritized in
the business life and even, men face discrimination. That implies campaigns
18 Bulgu Araştırma, 2nd Focus Group Meeting on August 1, 2018
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