Türkü (the Turkish folk song) is one of the products of Anonymous Folk Literature sung with melody. The Turkish folk song, which is the fusion of poetry and music, is the reflection of the collective unconscious and subconscious of the society from which it emerged. Pains, joys, and expectations, in short, those that are experienced and those that cannot be experienced, come into existence in Turkish folk songs. Turkish folk songs are the most significant cultural memory places of the society they belong to, and by sharing the feelings of the individuals who make up that society, these songs keep them together. Turkish folk songs have rich content that can tell every moment of social life, from the cradle to the grave. In this study, the way women are handled in Bitlis folk songs has been evaluated. Bitlis is a city that has a rich culture. This richness is also reflected in its folk songs. Bitlis folk songs artistically address the traditional life of the people, the geographical structure and the economic situation of Bitlis. In this context, women have also been the subject of Bitlis folk songs. In our culture, women have been valued as mothers, wives, lovers, and sisters and have taken place in important positions in social and political terms throughout history. This value of women in social life is also reflected in oral literature works. In Bitlis folk songs, women are handled according to society's conception of life. Bitlis folk songs are analyzed under nine titles, including those that are told directly about a woman, those that deal with women's personalities, those that deal with women's appearance, those that deal with women's clothing and jewelry, those that deal with love for women, those that deal with the troubles women that experience, those that deal with the social role of women, those that contain reproaches to women, and those that are sung by women. As a result of this analysis, it was found that Bitlis folk songs deal with women with their status in cultural life. From this point of view, it is possible to say that Turkish folk songs build the perception of the life of today and future generations, as well as guide the place of women in social life.

Turkish folk songs, Bitlis folk songs, woman, verbal literature, verbal history.