From Velvet Triangle to Iron Square in a Hybrid and Patriarchal Regime: Informal Networks as the Undermining Force of Women’s Rights in Turkey

Woodward (2004), in her seminal work, suggested ‘velvet triangle’ model in democratic states, which refers to the interaction between informal networks such as feminist bureaucrats, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and trusted academics as an efficient method to negotiate feminist interests in gendered institutions. However, in hybrid regimes, where electoral competition continues, these informal networks are formed based on ideological proximity through a form of corporatist and symbiotic relationships and they are utilized by the governments to remain in power. In line with this notion, we offer Turkish case with reference to the role of Islamic-rooted ideological networks to add a fourth corner to the 'velvet triangle' to form an ‘iron square’. In this framework, women GO-NGOs which do not adopt a gender equality perspective are rewarded through either political positions or financial means while they do not negotiate women’s interests with the government. In exchange for these relationships, the ruling Justice and Development Party promotes its conservative ideology from the top down and cultivates a constituency of conservative women. Especially, in July 2020, the government's decision on the withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, an important agreement for women’s rights, has become the biggest signal of this backsliding. As an evidence from a hybrid and patriarchal regime, this study examines how informal religion-based networks between the government and women GO-NGOs dominate political system by undermining women’s rights in Turkey.