Turkish president rounds on feminists, says men and women not equal

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during the opening ceremony of an imam-hatip school in Ankara November 18, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told a meeting on women's rights on Monday that gender equality was contrary to nature and said feminists did not recognise the value of motherhood.

Erdogan, whose conservative, Islamist ideology frequently raises hackles in more liberal segments of Turkish society, said women's "delicate" nature meant it was impossible to place them on an equal footing with men.