The Revolutionary Who Knew Women Would Save Nations
Adnan Menderes Obuz here, writing to you on the anniversary of a leader who understood something most men of his era couldn't grasp: that excluding women from society's work isn't just morally wrong—it's civilizational suicide.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Not just because November 10th marks the death of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. But because the more I work in strategy, technology, and transformation, the more I see the same pattern repeating.
The organizations that win aren't the ones with the smartest guys in the room. They're the ones that figured out how to include everyone's intelligence in the conversation.
The Quote That Started Everything
Ten years ago 2014, I posted something on Facebook that's been rattling around in my head ever since:
"Everything we see in the world is the creative work of women." - Ataturk
At the time, I was collecting quotes about women from leaders throughout history. Coco Chanel's line resonated too: "A girl should be two things: WHO and WHAT she wants."
But Ataturk's words carried extra weight for me. Not just because of my heritage—my middle name honors Adnan Menderes, a Turkish Prime Minister who continued Ataturk's progressive legacy—but because these weren't just words. They were backed by revolutionary action.
What He Actually Did
Here's what most people don't know about Ataturk's Turkey:
In 1926, when my grandfather's generation was young, Turkey abolished polygamy and gave women equal inheritance rights. Not gradually. Immediately.
In 1934, Turkish women gained the right to vote in national elections. To put this in perspective: this happened before women could vote in France (1944) or Switzerland (1971).
The same year, 18 women were elected to Turkey's parliament. One of them was a peasant woman, illiterate, who had been village head and whom Ataturk personally insisted be included.
He adopted multiple daughters—most famously Sabiha Gökçen, who became one of the world's first female combat pilots. Not for show. Because he believed women belonged in every field where men operated.
Why This Matters Now
When Adnan Menderes Obuz works with companies trying to navigate AI transformation or market disruption, I see the same fundamental challenge Ataturk faced.
How do you convince people who benefit from the current system that changing it serves everyone's interest?
Ataturk had a simple answer, and it remains relevant: "Human kind is made up of two sexes, women and men. Is it possible that a mass is improved by the improvement of only one part and the other part is ignored? Is it possible that if half of a mass is tied to earth with chains and the other half can soar into skies?"
You can't. It's logically impossible.
Yet organizations try it every day. They build AI systems with homogeneous teams and wonder why the results feel biased. They create products without diverse input and miss massive market opportunities. They promote based on comfortable familiarity rather than capability and wonder why innovation stalls.
The Economics of Inclusion
Let me put on my capital markets analyst hat for a moment.
The World Economic Forum estimates that closing the global gender gap could add $12 trillion to global GDP by 2025. That's not activism talking. That's pure economic reality.
Companies with diverse leadership teams show 19% higher revenue from innovation. They make better decisions. They understand more markets. They attract better talent.
This isn't about fairness as charity. It's about recognizing that excluding half your potential genius pool is terrible strategy.
Ataturk got this in 1923. He said: "If a society does not wage a common struggle to attain a common goal with its women and men, scientifically there is no way for it to become civilized or developed."
Scientifically. Not morally. Not ideologically. Scientifically.
Education as Power
"To the women: Win for us the battle of education and you will do yet more for your country than we have been able to do."
This quote hits me every time I read it.
Ataturk didn't just talk about education. Under his leadership, Turkey's literacy rate jumped from 9% to 33% in just 15 years. He changed the alphabet to make learning easier. He opened universities to women. He made education the cornerstone of everything else.
Why? Because he understood that educated mothers raise educated children. Educated women build stronger communities. Educated societies make better decisions.
Every piece of research confirms this. Women's education correlates with lower infant mortality, higher economic growth, stronger democratic institutions, and more sustainable development.
It's not complicated. It's just true.
The Personal Connection
My name tells a story. Adnan means "settler" or "one who stays and builds." Menderes honors a leader who continued progressive reforms. Obuz is the family name I carry forward.
These names remind me that progress isn't automatic. Each generation inherits both achievements and unfinished work.
I see this in my own field. We've made progress in tech diversity, but we're nowhere near where we need to be. We've opened doors, but we haven't always created environments where everyone can thrive beyond those doors.
The question I ask myself, and the question I ask leaders I work with: Are we actually pursuing progress, or are we managing decline while calling it tradition?
What Courage Looks Like
Ataturk faced enormous resistance. Conservative religious leaders opposed his reforms. Traditional power structures fought back. Many men couldn't imagine a world where women participated fully in society.
He persisted because he understood something fundamental: you don't get to prosperity by protecting outdated systems. You get there by unleashing potential wherever it exists.
"Women are the pillars of the society and wellspring of the nation. They must bring up and educate strong new generations but they can only perform these tasks if they themselves are enlightened."
Not enlightened as his subjects. Enlightened as full participants.
The Work That Remains
A century later, we're still fighting versions of the same battle.
In my work helping organizations adopt AI, I see teams building systems without diverse perspectives, creating tools that reflect narrow worldviews. In capital markets, I see investment decisions that overlook massive opportunities because decision-makers can't imagine certain markets or customer segments.
Progress requires constant effort. The doors Ataturk opened in 1920s Turkey still need defending and widening. The principles he articulated still need application in new contexts.
When I evaluate a business strategy or a technology implementation, I ask: Are we using all available intelligence? Are we creating systems that work for everyone? Are we building something that actually serves human flourishing, or are we just automating existing inequities?
These questions matter because the answers determine whether we progress or stagnate.
To the Women Reading This
You already know your worth. You don't need me or anyone else to validate it.
But you deserve to know that there have always been people—yes, including men—who recognized your full humanity and capability. Who fought to create systems where you could thrive. Who understood that your success doesn't diminish anyone; it elevates everyone.
Ataturk was one of them. So was Coco Chanel in her domain. So are countless others working today to build more equitable systems.
The work continues. The battle of education, as Ataturk called it, remains vital. The fight for genuine inclusion in technology, finance, leadership—all of it matters.
"Everything we see in the world is the creative work of women."
This wasn't flattery in 1923. It isn't flattery now. It's simply acknowledgment of reality.
Let's build systems that reflect that reality.
Adnan Menderes Obuz is an AI strategy consultant, capital markets analyst, and writer exploring the intersection of technology, culture, and human progress. Based in Toronto, he helps organizations navigate transformation while maintaining focus on what actually matters: building systems that serve human flourishing.
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