The First Female Associate Professor in The Fıeld of Obstetrics in Türkiye: Emeritus Professor Dr. Sevim Dinçer Cengiz

As in the rest of the world, women in Türkiye have had to go through difficult processes to gain their rights. From a gender perspective, it is not easy for women to become visible in the public sphere. Women's position in the field of health has also changed in line with these developments. Male doctors, who dominate the field of medicine, have not allowed female doctors to come to the fore or have not taken a positive attitude towards them. Even in sensitive fields such as obstetrics, the situation has developed to the detriment of female physicians. In neighboring countries in the same region, the process of admitting women to medical school is also difficult. The challenges experienced by female physicians in their work in the medical field are similar. The aim of this study is to determine the situation in Türkiye using the example of Prof. Sevim Dinçer Cengiz, the first female associate professor in the field of obstetrics. The material for this study consisted of personal interviews with Cengiz in Ankara and first-hand sources, such as photographs obtained from Cengiz’s special archive, newspaper, website, about the life and works of Cengiz, and her scientific articles. The information obtained from the document analysis was written following the chronology with a retrospective approach. In this study, the journey of female physicians in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology in academia has been summarised in Türkiye. Prof. Dr. Sevim Dinçer Cengiz was interviewed, Dr Cengiz graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Medicine in 1967 and went to the USA before completing her specialisation in gynaecology and obstetrics, gaining six months of experience there. Upon returning to Türkiye, she completed her specialisation at Diyarbakır Universtiy Faculty of Medicine and became Türkiye's first female associate professor in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology in 1977. As a strong representative of modern Turkish women in social and academic life, Dr. Cengiz secured an important place in Turkey’s gender memory.