Structured Exclusions: The Making of Female Citizenship in Türkiye and Israel

Abstract This article explores the gendered dimensions of citizenship in Türkiye and Israel by examining how nationalism, religion, and state ideology shape women’s civic status. It argues that both secular and religious frameworks can produce structurally gendered exclusions, even when formal legal equality is granted. Through a comparative analysis structured around eight thematic dimensions, the study demonstrates how women are positioned as symbolic yet subordinate citizens in both contexts. In Türkiye, the legacy of secular modernization constructs the makbul citizen through patriarchal norms masked by state feminism, while in Israel, religious legal authority and national loyalty reinforce gendered hierarchies. The article contributes to citizenship studies by offering an analytical framework that reveals how different state models converge in their reliance on gendered logics, and by underscoring the coexistence of symbolic inclusion with substantive exclusion. The findings invite further inquiry into feminist strategies that challenge the persistent masculinization of political belonging.