Turkish President Erdogan: Women aren't equal to men

Turkish President Erdogan: Women aren't equal to men
(Image credit: iStock)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had some harsh words for feminists at the Women and Justice Summit in Istanbul.

"You cannot put women and men on an equal footing," Erdogan said. "It is against nature." Erdogan also accused feminists of rejecting motherhood and failing to appreciate its importance.

"In the workplace, you cannot treat a man and a pregnant woman in the same way," Erdogan said, adding that women have a "delicate nature" that prohibits them from doing the same work as men.

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Rather than equality, Erdogan said, women deserve equal respect, or "equivalency."

"Their nature is different. Their constitution is different," Erdogan said to the conference. "Some people can understand this, while others can't."

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.