Atatürk and Women's Rights in Turkey

After leading Turkey to victory in its war of independence, Mustafa Kemal, known as Atatürk, pushed forward a series of reforms meant to modernize the new Turkish state. Among these was the granting of formal rights, such as suffrage and inheritance, to women. But did the extension of legal rights translate to real change? In this lesson, students read primary and secondary sources to answer the question: Did Atatürk's reforms actually improve the status of women in Turkey?