Equality Has No Race or Gender!

Altınbaş University hosted an event titled "No Race or Gender in Equality!" as part of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The event, held at the Gayrettepe 100th Year Conference Hall, addressed gender and race discrimination, which still remains a significant issue in many societies today.

With the aim of creating social awareness by examining various aspects of gender and race discrimination, the event focused on how these discriminations create barriers and how these barriers can be overcome.

Speakers at the event included Dr. Banu Kavaklı, Director of the Center for Gender Studies and Women's Studies Research and Application at Altınbaş University (TOKAMER), Dr. Berna Ekal, a member of the board, and Dr. Arda İbikoğlu, faculty member of the Sociology Department at Altınbaş University.

Dr. Banu Kavaklı addressed gender inequality in the workplace, specifically discussing the gender-based wage gap. Kavaklı stated, "This gap represents a situation where everything else is equal, such as the same level of education, the same work experience, the same amount of work in the same company, on-the-job training, and so on. When all these are equal, women receive less pay than men, simply because of gender."

Dr. Berna Ekal emphasized the importance of awareness, stating, "Awareness is key. Being aware and changing our lives accordingly is the first step for change. If people are aware, it will be harder to create a negative environment or negative policies in that society."

Dr. Arda İbikoğlu highlighted the importance of laws in eliminating inequalities and stated, "Laws alone cannot bring about change. They need to be supported by social and political actors in the field. What we need to do is to achieve legal change and then make it work."