The Birth of the “Woman Question” in Azerbaijan in the 19th Century

The article examines the emergence of the “woman question” in Azerbaijan during the 19th century. After establishing the research concept and analysing the relevant literature, the topic is discussed in two sections. The first section examines the daily traditional lives of Caucasian Turkic women, while the second section analyses the changes and transformations of Turkic women during the Tsarist period. A retrospective analysis of the literature on the subject revealed that the problem emerged simultaneously with social and cultural needs. Azerbaijani intellectuals, who espoused the principle of creating an intellectually developed nation, posited that this goal could be achieved through educated women. Aware of the difficulties in educating and developing women who were confined to the home in the traditional patriarchal society, these intellectuals both acknowledged the existence of the women's problem and initiated efforts to establish special schools for girls with the aim of addressing it. As a consequence of these endeavours, a new generation of conscious and educated women emerged in the new century.