Gender Inequality in Urban Areas: A Critical Investigation of Street Naming Practices in Turkey

Abstract

Urban place naming extends beyond navigation and constitutes a political practice through which ideological discourses are inscribed into space and collective memory. Naming practices play a central role in shaping gendered representations of space and determining whose identities are rendered visible in the public realm. Within this framework, and focusing on the case of Turkey, this study examines how patriarchal narratives are embedded in urban memory through toponymic practices, by approaching urban place names as a city text. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research combines quantitative and qualitative analyses to investigate gender representation in street, avenue, and boulevard names in Turkey. The findings reveal a pronounced gender imbalance: 23,020 urban place names (12.80%) commemorate men, whereas only 719 (0.40%) commemorate women, meaning that male names are approximately thirty-two times more prevalent than female names. Even in major metropolitan centers, female representation remains below 1%. Women are predominantly commemorated through familial roles, while representations based on professional, intellectual, or artistic identities remain extremely limited. Overall, the findings demonstrate that urban memory in Turkey is largely structured through male-centered narratives, marginalizing women in public space. The study highlights the importance of reconsidering urban naming policies to promote more inclusive and equitable urban environments.