VAN - Women, whose workloads doubles with full lockdown imposed across Turkey, are spring cleaning on one side and “serving” men who are at home on the other hand. Women are also rebelling against the poverty imposed on them.

 

Within the scope of the government's pandemic measures, a full lockdown was implemented between 29 April and 17 May. Within the scope of the full lockdown, which left nine days behind, work continued in many business lines. The bill of the pandemic was again paid to laborers and women. Especially in Kurdish provinces, with the added unemployment, all the heavy poverty on the shoulders of women. For women, whose workloads have doubled with the lockdown in Van, staying home is like a ‘luxury’. Women who are condemned to provide “unlimited service” to men 24 hours a day, seven days a week, rebel against this situation.

 

Rushes of Selma

 

Selma Şipal, which we encountered in Hacıbekir District, is in a rush. On one side, Selma, who feeds her sheep in the barn, on the other hand, rushes to wash the carpets and blankets she has kept in water for spring cleaning. Selma also does not neglect to take care of the customers who come to the small greenhouse that she has set up in her garden to make economic gain. Challenging the workload, Selma said: “I have been working as long as I can remember. Household work and gardening, animal care. I cannot even breathe during the day, but I'm happy.”

 

‘Seedlings do not cover the cost’

 

Selma, who is fasting due to Ramadan, says the following about the routine work intensity: “I set up a greenhouse in my garden in February. In the greenhouse I grow eggplant, tomato, cucumber seedlings. I earn economic income by selling seedlings to neighbors and wholesalers. I plant seeds from last year in the garden. I give a piece for 75 kurus. Eggplant seedlings I give one lira. Seedlings do not cover the cost. But it is a good feeling to gain economic gain. I only buy the fertilizer bag for 150TRY.”

 

‘If the virus does not kill, we will starve’

 

Another woman we saw in the neighborhood is Reyhan Kıyak. Reyhan, who lays the wool she washed at the door of her house in the sun, is rebelling against the financial difficulties. Reyhan said to our question about how the full lockdown is going: “It is terrible. There is no job. Pandemic excuse. They take the people to the hospital, they kill them, and then they say, 'virus killed'. If the virus does not kill, we will starve. We are four, my husband is not working. We only eat pasta. We could not get any support. We have nothing. They pay few kurus, they trick the nation. My wife is a porter. One day there is work, ten days of absence. We live penuriously. Sometimes my family supports me.”

 

‘We are fighting’

 

Complaining about staying at home with men and “serving” them, Reyhan said: “Our days with men are terrible. It passes with quarrel and disgrace. He is mad at me I am angry with him. There is nothing to do, we fight with each other. We 1,500,000,000 electricity debt, and we cannot pay it either. There is a total of 700TRY for water money. My house has no roof. The house always smells damp from dripping.”