ISTANBUL, Turkey, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- As of Jan. 1, Turkish women will enjoy equal rights when marrying under a dramatic change of the country's Civil Code.
The law is not retroactive, but women tying the knot in the new year can take a job without their husband's permission, receive half of joint assets on divorce, and decide jointly where the family resides.
Building on the overhaul to Turkish law that leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk launched in 1926, the law, which was passed by Parliament in November, protects abandoned wives and gives women an equal voice in the family. In addition to political rights, Ataturk had instituted several legal changes, including more rights in divorce, inheritance and custody, mandatory coeducation and an end to polygamy.
However, the 21st century's new law has not been without vociferous opponents. Turkish Islamic hard-line parties waged a vigorous battle against changing the Civil Code for women.
In recent decades, the liberal societies of Istanbul and the Aegean and Mediterranean coastlines have seen dramatic social changes with the movement of people out of the country's stricter southeast. This cultural conflict has spilled over to the political sphere with the rise of Islamic-oriented parties.
Nevertheless, out of a total population of more than 66 million, nearly half are women who in theory enjoy secular freedoms instituted by Ataturk and many may reap the benefits of the new law. But for the 17 million women already married, Jan. 1 will not change much. And for women in the southeast, the code has never provided much protection.
"The ratio of religious marriages, polygamy, underage marriage, sexual abuse, rape and honor killing here is very high," women's rights advocate Nebahat Akkoc from the Kamer organization based in Diyarbakir told the Guardian. "The traditions that are a way of life here have been in force for hundreds of years."
Janin Arin, a divorce lawyer, was more upbeat about the law.
"This is very important, because usually when women are married, their husbands do not want their wife to work out of the house. They will say that he is terribly in love with her, and he does not want her to get more tired," she told the British Broadcasting Corp. "Of course, women can easily give up working out of the house, and at the end of 20 or 30 years, she becomes just nothing."
The purpose of the law is more than just a secular push for women's rights. Turkey has an interest in a Western-tailored approach to legal protections.
In December 1999, the predominantly Muslim country found itself a candidate for full membership in the European Union. In wooing for full participation in the EU, Turkey has found that changes to its Civil Code are necessary.
Yet for the modern Turkish woman who embraces a new way of life, Jan. 1 brought a special gift that goes beyond international conformity.