Güvenlik Politikalarında Kadının Yeri: Kadın Güvenlik Korucuları Örneği
The Role of Women in Security Policies: The Case of Female Security Guards

Summary/Abstract: Security is considered one of the basic functions of the modern state, and the field has often been associated with its male-dominated structure. However in recent years, gender studies have revealed that security policies are not limited to military and technical dimensions but also need to be addressed in terms of social, cultural and political aspects. In this context, women's participation in the field of security has become an issue that needs to be re-evaluated both normatively and practically. The security guard system, which has been implemented in rural areas in Turkey since the 1980s, is part of the state's strategy for ensuring local security. While only men served in this system for many years, the assignment of women as guards in recent years has marked the beginning of a new era. The presence of female security guards in the field represents a significant transformation not only in the understanding of security but also prevailing gender roles. In this context, the study analyzes the experiences of female guards in the field, their positions within institutional structures and their social perceptions using qualitative research methods. The findings show that female security guards add a new dimension to both local security practices and state-society relations. At the same time, their increasing visibility in security policies enhances women’s representation in the public sphere and is regarded as part of a broader process of social transformation. By linking microlevel field experiences with macro-level security policies, the article offers an original perspective on the role of women in the security sector the more visible these actors are in security policies, the more women are represented in the public sphere and are considered as part of social transformation. The article offers a unique perspective by linking women's roles in the security sector with macro-level policies through micro-level field data.

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