Motherhood is not a career, famous Turkish writer Elif Şafak says in reaction to health minister

Turkish writer Elif Şafak has taken to Twitter to respond to Health Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu's controversial recent statements concerning motherhood, stating that “motherhood is not a career.” 

“Motherhood is not a career. Turkish women should decide their own paths in life [not male politicians from above],” Şafak wrote on her official Twitter account on Jan. 1.

Müezzinoğlu stirred controversy during a visit to the first baby born in 2015 in Istanbul early on Jan. 1, giving advice to mothers.

“Mothers have the career of motherhood, which cannot be possessed by anyone else in the world. Mothers should not put careers other than motherhood at the center of their lives. They should make raising good generations the center of their attention,” he said.

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Aylin Nazlıaka has also slammed Müezzinoğlu, saying, “The only career the health minister who said ‘women’s only career should be motherhood’ should be to stop speaking.”

“There is no sincerity in this mentality’s glorifying motherhood; there are ulterior motives behind these statements. The aim is to make women second-class citizens,” Nazlıaka said on Twitter.