Between Right and Resistance: A Quantitative Analysis of Women's Self-Defense and Legal Legitimacy in Turkey
Violence Against Women, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Publication Date: 2025
- Doi Number: 10.1177/10778012251401896
- Journal Name: Violence Against Women
- Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, CINAHL, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Gender Studies Database, Index Islamicus, MEDLINE, Psycinfo, Public Affairs Index, Social Sciences Abstracts, Urban Studies Abstracts
- Keywords: women's self-defense, feminist legal theory, legal knowledge and agency, gender-based violence, Turkey
- Dokuz Eylül University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
Women's legal right to self-defense in Turkey is limited in practice, particularly under chronic abuse. This study examines how legal knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors shape self-defense. A cross-sectional survey of 392 women was analyzed to assess the impact of socio-demographic and cognitive factors. Attitudes significantly predicted behavior, while legal knowledge alone did not. Results highlight the influence of institutional distrust, stigma, and normative pressure. The study calls for feminist-informed legal reform and recognition of self-defense education as a collective right to resist gender-based violence, emphasizing structural inequality and the gap between legal rights and real-life agency.