Karamanoğlu Rector Gavgalı: Female Vice Rector Cannot Attend Evening Meetings

Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Gavgalı responded to journalists' question about whether a female vice rector would be appointed at a press conference held in Karaman on November 6, saying, "We do have working colleagues, but we generally hold our meetings after five o'clock." Gavgalı added that meetings can extend until eight in the evening, and at the same press conference denied allegations that his wife has been instrumental in university administration appointments.

Prof. Dr. İpek Özkal Sayan, Deputy Chair of the İYİ Party, was the first to respond to the comments. Sayan noted that female academics teach in the morning, serve on juries in the afternoon, write articles and prepare project reports in the evening and on weekends, and "already exceed working hours every day." She characterized a third party deciding at what time an as-yet-unappointed and unnamed person could attend a meeting as "a judgment based on no competency evaluation."

According to YÖK data cited by Sayan, of 469 vice rectors serving at 204 universities across Turkey, only 85 are women and 384 are men — roughly one in every five vice rectors. Sayan emphasized that this picture, based on academic research, contradicts the fact that women academics make up approximately half of the teaching staff. She stated that the administration of an institution founded with public resources "must ensure gender equality" and that this is "not a matter of goodwill expectations, but a legal responsibility."