Turkey’s Erdogan Tells Women They Can’t Be Equal With Men

Equality among men and women is against the “natural disposition” of humanity, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a gender conference in Istanbul.

Women need equivalence, not equality, Erdogan told a room packed with members of a women’s group. That notion includes fair and equal treatment before the law while recognizing the genders as having different societal roles and capabilities, he said. A leader who describes himself as an observant Muslim and a conservative politician, Erdogan often cited Islam to explain his views on the place of women in Turkish society.