women`s participation in labor force and women`s employment in

WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION
IN LABOR FORCE AND
WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT
IN TURKEY
1
THE GENERAL DIRECTORATE
ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
2
WHY WOMEN MUST BE ENGAGED IN THE
EMPLOYMENT?
The size and quality of the human capital in countries is
one of the key driving forces behind the economic and
social development. The goal of listing our country among
the biggest ten economies in the world by 2023, which is
the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic
of Turkey, will only be possible if women, being half our
population, are also participate in the economic life. The
more women participate in the economic life and the
further their social status is improved; the bigger their share
in development and growth will get. The policies pursued
and activities carried out recently in Turkey being aware of
the fact that women are the subject of the economic and
social development have yielded an increase in the women’s
rates of employment and labor force participation.
3
WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT WITH STATISTICS
Women’s employment and labor participation rate is
increasing according to years.
According to the 2004 TUIK statistics, women’s
employment rate which was 20,8% in 2004 rose to
26,7% at the end of 2014 with an increase of 5,9 points.
When the women’s participation rate in labor force is
examined according to the 2014 year data, it is seen
that the rate rose to 30,3% with an increase of 7 points.
According to the 2014 figures, it is observed that women are
mostly employed in the service sector with a rate of 49,9%.
Women’s employment rate in the agricultural sector
which was 50,8% in 2004 decreased to 33% by the end of
the year 2014.
Women’s employment rate in the industry sector which was
16, 1% in 2004 rose to 17,1% by the end of the year 2014.
While the rate of wage earner women or casual worker
women was 44,8% in 2004, this rate rose to 60,2% by the
end of the year 2014.
While the rate of unpaid family workers was noted as
44,5% in 2004, this rate decreased to 29,5% with a decrease
of 15 points of decrease by the end of the year 2014.
While the rate of women working without being
registered with a social security institution for their
actual job had been 67 percent in 2004; the same
rate decreased to 48,4 percent by the end of 2014.
4
Women’s household responsibilities are top reasons of
women’s not being able to participate in labor force with
a rate of 57,6%.
Women are isolated from the labor force as they do not
seek a job, work seasonally, get engaged in housework,
attend school and retire etc.
Reasons of women’s not being able to
participate in labor force
Those not seeking a job but ready to
work
Per thousand
(%)
1.501
7,5
Seasonal workers
67
0,3
Those engaged in household duties
11.589
57,6
Education/training
2.250
11,2
Retired
824
4,1
Not working
2.512
12,5
Other
1.368
6,8
As the educational level of women increases, their labor
force participation rate increases.
25,8 percent of women in the labor force are graduates of
high school and lower levels, whereas 71,3 percent are graduates of higher education.
2014
Labor Force
Participation
Rate
Unemployment
Rate
The Illiterate
16,0
3,0
Those ducated
below high school
25,8
9,3
High School
31,9
19,1
39,8
19,3
71,3
15,5
Vocational or
Technical High
School
Tertiary
Education
5
LEGAL AMENDMENTS
Various measures have been adopted, legal arrangements
put in place and promotion and support programs
implemented to eliminate the structural, social and other
setbacks to women’s employment.
The Labor Act
With an amendment
introduced on June 10,
2003, no discrimination
shall be allowed in
employer-employee
relationship on any
grounds including sex in
terms of human rights.
Income Tax Law:
With the amendment made to Income Tax Law in 2007,
it is established that the incomes generated as a result of
the sale of products, produced in household by women,
in fairs, exhibitions and state-owned places shall be
exempted from tax.
REGULATIONS ENCOURAGING WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT
A number of measures, incentives and support programs
have been introduced to eliminate the structural, social
and other challenges before women’s employment.
Employment Package 2008:
In the Employment Package 2008 put into force to increase
women employment; there is a provision which states
that Social Insurance Employee Premium of women that
have been employed in addition to current employment
and youth aged 18-29, shall be paid from unemployment
insurance fund for 5 years gradually. 2009 Employment
and Incentive Package 2009 is a follow-up of the practices
introduced by the 2008 Employment Package.
6
The Law No:6111, 2011
The Law No: 6111, allows positive discrimination for women
in terms of providing new employment opportunities
for women compared with men. The law sets forth that
insurance premiums of women who started to work over
the age of 18, shall be paid from the Unemployment
Insurance Fund of employer’s share depending on the
certain conditions for a period of 12 and 54 months.
The housewives who work under 30 days a month or do not
work fulltime and not pensioned on their own insurance
are entitled to voluntary insurance. Details are available
at www.csgb.gov.tr and via ALO 170 Labor and Security
Contact Center. You can get more detailed information and
help from the web site www.csgb.gov.tr or from the ALO
170 hotline for labor and social security contact center.
The Provision about the Requirement of Women Farmers’
Being the Head of Family to Benefit from the Insurance
Coverage Has Been Abolished
The Law No. 4956 and the Law No.6270 abolished the
provision about the requirement of women farmers’ being
the head of the family, who are engaged in agricultural
activities on their own behalf and own account to be able to
benefit from the insurance coverage.
Treasury Support to the Credit Guarantee Fund for the
Women Entrepreneurs
The Decree on the Principles and Procedures for the
Treasury Support to the Credit Guarantee Agencies includes
provisions of affirmative action in support of the women
entrepreneurs. In the treasury-backed system, the rate of
guarantee, which is 75 percent for the SME loans, shall be
applicable as 85 percent for the loans to be used by the
women entrepreneurs. The guarantee concerned shall be
applicable for the firms existing for a period of maximum 2
years and owned by women who are under 55 years of age
and graduate of primary school at least. The minimum sum
of guarantee shall be 85.000 TL and 130.000 TL for each risk
group. Details are available at the Credit Guarantee Fund.
7
SUPPORTIVE CIRCULARS FOR
WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT
Prime Ministerial Circular No: 2004/17 on the Principle of
Equality on Personnel Recruitment’’
No discrimination shall be allowed in recruitment of the
personnel in the public sector.
The Prime Ministerial Circular No:2010/14 on ‘’Increasing
Women Employment and Providing Equal Opportunities
for Women and Men’’
Within the scope of the protocol, the public institutions
and agencies were assigned responsibilities to empower
the socio-economic status of women, promote gender
equality in every sphere of social life and increase women’s
employment and ensure equal pay for work of equal value
to achieve the objectives of sustainable economic growth
and social development.
Board of National Monitoring and Coordination of
Women’s Employment has been constituted under the
coordination of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security
to monitor, evaluate, coordinate and cooperate activities
launched by all relevant parties to identify the current
problems in women’s employment and offer solutions to
these problems and remedy the gaps to this end.
8
OBJECTIVES
The 10th Development Plan which covers the period of
2014 and 2018 aims to increase women’s rates of labor
force participation and employment up to 34,9 and 31
percent respectively, by the end of the Plan term.
The 2023 goal of women’s labor force participation is set as
41 percent in the National Employment Strategy covering
the period of 2014 and 2023.
Current regulations regarding the reconciliation of work
and family life
Current regulations
• In principle female employees should not be engaged in
work for a total period of sixteen weeks, eight weeks before
confinement and eight weeks after confinement. In case
of pre-mature births, unused part of maternal leave before
delivery shall be added to the postnatal leave.
• The civil servant who gave a birth shall be granted a leave
of 24 months beginning from the expiry of the maternity
leave; the father shall be granted unpaid paternity leave
up to 24 months beginning from the delivery upon their
request.
• In the event of that the spouse of the civil servant delivers
a birth, the father shall be granted a paternity leave of 10
days.
• The workers and employees shall be granted a paternity
leave of 5 days.
• The civil servant mother shall be granted 3-hour breast
feeding leave in a day for the first six months after the
expiration of the postnatal maternal leave; and 1,5-hour
9
breast feeding leave for the second six months. The women
workers shall be granted 1,5 hour breast feeding leave in a
day.
• Women workers shall be exempted from night watches
and night shifts until pregnancy on the condition that they
certificate it with a medical report; breast-feeding women
cannot be forced to work in night shifts with a period of one
year starting from the delivery without any prejudice to the
provisions in the legislation.
• Women civil servants shall be exempted from night
watches and night shifts before and during the twentyfourth-month of the pregnancy as well as the first year
following the delivery.
• With the Law No. 6552 the scope of birth in-depth is
broadened and necessary legal ground is laid down for
mothers to get indebted for 3 children instead of 2 children,
which was previously applicable.
• Women employees are now entitled to benefits for
incapacity to work during the 16-week period of maternity
leave.
• Regional benefits are available to support the private
crèches and day care centers and promote the investments
in pre-school education.
• The private pre-school education institutions for children
3-5 years old are exempt from the corporate and income tax
for five years after they are founded.
• The legislation covers provisions stipulating that nurseries
be made available for the civil servants.
• The workplaces with 100-150 female staff members are
obliged to make breastfeeding rooms and crèche services
available for them irrespective of their marital status.
10
PROJECTS
Many projects are being run at the national, regional and
local levels for socio-economic empowerment of women,
raising awareness and facilitating the child care burden
with institutional support.
The Project on Increasing Women’s Access to Economic
Opportunities in Turkey
The Project on Increasing Women’s Access to Economic Opportunities in Turkey”, (2012 - 2017) run by the GDSW with
the financial support of the Swedish International Development and Cooperation Agency (SIDA) in collaboration with
the World Bank, aims provide necessary information and data
for the formulation of policies that will provide women with
better employment and occupational facilities and promote
the extension of such policies, establish qualified and easily
accessible as well as affordable child care models and help
women get organized in cooperatives to achieve their economic and social empowerment and boost women’s cooperatives.
The Equality at Work Platform
The initiative launched with the
name of the “Gender Equality Task
Force of Turkey” under the auspices
of the Ministry of Family and Social
Policies to minimize the gender
gap in the field of economic participation and opportunities in Turkey and then formed into Equality
at Work Platform (2012-2015) aims to reduce the economic
gender gap down to 10 percent within the following three
years. The two-year ultimate goal of 10 percent was fulfilled
11
by 9,4 percent. Within the scope of the Equality at Work Platform run in collaboration the public and private sector to increase women’s economic participation and promote gender equality in each phases of employment and working life
starting from the recruitment, a variety of informative and
awareness-raising activities are launched to encourage firms
and companies to sign against the discriminatory practices
in the labor force market, promote gender equality and take
over responsibilities on promotion of gender equality and
elimination of all forms of discrimination in the social life.
The Project on Review of the Female Labor Force Profile
and Statistics from a Perspective of Gender Equality in
Turkey”
The “Project on Review of the Female Labor Force Profile and Statistics from a Perspective of Gender Equality in
Turkey” was run to increase
women’s participation in economic life and strengthen their socio-economic status. With
the Project Households Labor
Force Survey (between 2003
and 2013), the Structure of Earnings Survey (2006 and 2010)
and Time Use Survey (for 2006)
conducted by the TUIK (Turkish
Statistical Institute) were analyzed in detailed with a gender
perspective and a report was
compiled regarding the issue
and the report was publicized.
And the results of the survey were published in English and
Turkish. For more information please visit
http://kadininstatusu.gov.tr/yayinlar/dagitimda-olanyayinlar.
12
Mom’s Job My Future Project
Within the scope of the Protocol signed among the Ministry
of Family and Social Policies, the
Ministry of Science, Industry and
Trade and BORUSAN Holding,
“Mom’s Job My Future” Project
is being carried out for the years
2013 and 2019. It is aimed to establish crèches in the organized
industrial zones of ten provinces
including Adıyaman, Afyonkarahisar, Malatya, and Şanlıurfa, Balıkesir, Karaman, Ordu, Çorum, Mardin and Diyarbakır. Crèches started functioning in
the organized industrial zones of Adıyaman, Afyonkarahisar
and Malatya. For more information please visit http://www.
anneminisi.org/tr/Anasayfa.aspx.
Young Ideas, Powerful Women Project
Within the scope of the Young Ideas,
Powerful Women Project (2013 and
2015), run in collaboration with
the Ministry of Family and Social
Policies, Intel Technology Services
Limited Company and the Women
Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey, “Idea Camps” are
organized with the participation of young people between
the ages of 18-30. Social entrepreneurship projects that
encourage the use of technology and innovative solutions
for social empowerment of women and elimination of
discrimination against women are produced in the idea camps.
The idea camps, in which a total number of 500 young people
participated, were organized, in Kütahya, Erzurum, Gaziantep,
Sakarya, Trabzon and Adana. For more information, please
visit http://www.gencfikirlerguclukadinlar.com/.
13
UN Joint Program on Protection and Promotion of
Women’s Human Rights: Gender Budgeting
“The UN Joint Program on
Protection and Promotion
of Women’s Human Rights:
Gender Budgeting” Project is
run by the UN Women in the
cities of Aydın, Çanakkale,
Edirne, Erzincan, Eskişehir,
Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş,
Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kocaeli
and Ordu with the funds
of the Sabancı Foundation
and our Ministry included among the cooperating bodies.
In scope of the Project, it is planned to organize training
programs for the local government to step up their
capacities for fulfilling the principles of gender responsive
budgeting and altering the local government budget in the
pilot cities in line with the gender responsive budgeting
principles. As a part of the project work between the years
2012 and 2015, trainings have been delivered in the pilot
cities and there are still ongoing activities at the local level.
Detailed information about the Project is available at http://
www.bmopkadinhaklari.org/tr/toplumsal-cinsiyeteduyarli-butceleme.
Trainings for Women Farmers
Within the scope of the Protocol signed between the Ministry
of Family and Social Policies and the Ministry of Food,
Agriculture and Husbandry and the Union of Agricultural
Chambers, 771 women farmers were trained in pilot provinces
of Kayseri, İzmir, Gaziantep, Sakarya and Diyarbakır. With the
trainings extended throughout 81 provinces of Turkey, nearly
4000 women farmers were trained.
14
WHICH SUPPORTS ARE AVAILABLE ?
Small and Medium Industry Development Organization
(KOSGEB) Credit Supports
If you are an entrepreneur and intend to develop your
business, you can benefit from the entrepreneurship
support programs of KOSGEB. KOSGEB have a number of
support programs including New Entrepreneur Support,
Entrepreneurship Support, Practical Entrepreneurship
Training programs and Business Development Central
Support. The support programs offer 10 percent more
finance for women entrepreneurs. For more detailed
information about the support programs and application
you can visit www.kosgeb.gov.tr, or call (312) 595 28 00
or 441 1567 call center.
Micro-Loan Practises
The
micro-loan
practices have been
launched with an
affirmative action
approach to encourage women’s entrepreneurship and
prevent poverty in cooperation with the Special Provincial
Administration and NGOs.
The first condition to benefit from the loan is that five women gather together and come up with a business idea and
apply for the loan. Then women’s self-confidence is reinforced through one-week training programs and women
are provided loans according to their type of business until
the end of this duration. The loan amount is between 100
and 1000 TL but the amount can be increased within the following years.
15
General Directorate of Social Assistance Project
Supports and Alo 144
The General Directorate of Social
Assistance has been running
project support programs which
enable the “active and productive”
Sosyal Yardım Hattı participation of poor citizens and
the jobless who are available for
work and sufficiently productive to the social life. Up to
15.000 TL interest-free 8-year-term loan with no payments
for two years but refundable in six equal years is provided
within the framework of the support program. You can
get more detailed information about the project supports
from ALO 144 Hotline for Social Assistance, www.
sosyalyardımlar.gov.tr or from the Social Assistance and
Solidarity Foundations available in each province.
ALO
144
Vocational Courses of Turkish Employment Agency
(İŞKUR)
Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) offers vocational
courses and personal development courses in order to
develop the personal qualifications of the jobless for each
profession required by the labor force and thus enable
their employability. You can get more detailed information
about the vocational courses of İŞKUR from the General
Directorate of Labor and Employment Agency available in
81 provinces or from the web site of İŞKUR: www.iskur.
gov.tr.
Development Agencies
The Development Agencies are autonomous public
agencies available for reducing inter-regional disparities
and achieving regional development. The Agencies
support the projects aimed at promoting women’s labor
force participation. For detailed information, please visit
http://www.kalkinma.gov.tr
16
Women’s Cooperatives
Women’s
cooperatives,
which are one of the most
important
development
tools for reducing poverty
and increasing women’s
employment both in our
country and all over the world,
are significant models for the
formulation of policies on
the strengthening of women
and provision of necessary fund transfer. The Ministry
of Food, Agriculture and Husbandry provides project
supports for Rural Development Cooperatives and the
Ministry of Customs and Trade offers project supports for
other cooperatives such as small enterprises and crafts to
encourage women’s cooperatives. You can get more detailed
information about the project supports from the Provincial
Directorates of the Ministries.
Vocational Courses of Public Training Centers
Affiliated to the General Directorate for Life Long Learning
of the Ministry of National Education and functioning as a
country unit, the Public Training Centers are non-formal
training institutions which bring in vocational, social and
cultural knowledge and skill to public, help them spend their
free time with beneficial activities and aims to increase their
income. The Centers run their event and activities in provinces
and districts. There are more than 900 Public Training Centers
and as well as the hobby-purpose courses, those who want
to acquire a profession, who want to change their jobs and
set up their own business can benefit from the these centers.
You can get more detailed information about the courses of
Public Training Centers from Provincial/District Directorates
of Ministry of National Education or from the web site of the
Ministry of National Education: www.meb.gov.tr.
17
PLACES of REFERENCE and
COMPLAINT
Ombudsman
Ombudsman was established to act as an independent
and efficient complaint mechanism in the proceeding
of public services with the Law No. 6328 dated June 14,
2012 to supervise and screen out every acts, deeds and
approaches of administration in terms of law and equity
and to research and provide recommendations by a
human rights-based justice understanding.
Who Can Apply and How to Apply?
Real and legal persons whose interests have been violated
by the acts and deeds of the administration can apply
to the Ombudsman. However, no violation of interest is
sought in the event that the complaint is about human
rights, fundamental rights and freedoms, women’s rights,
children’s rights and other general issues related to the
general public.
Letters of complaint is conveyed to Ombudsman via
e-mail, electronic mail, fax or electronic system through
the web page www.ombudsman.gov.tr. Applications can
also be made through governorates in the provinces and
district governorates in the provinces. In the event that
the original letters of complaints conveyed through fax or
electronic mail are not received by the Ombudsman within
fifteen days, the application will be invalid.
You can get more detailed information from the web site
www.ombudsman.gov.tr or through phone number
(0312) 465 22 00.
18
“ALO 170” Communication Center
Labor and Social Security Communication Center “ALO
170” work on the 7/24 basis to offer services to provide
solutions to each question, suggestion, criticism, report,
complaint, application and request about the work
life and social security with an effective, efficient and
urgent approach. The Communication Center provides
information and suggestions about all services offered
by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and Social
Security Institution and the Turkish Employment Agency.
All calls made to the Communication Center are directly
answered by the experts and the demands are tried to be
concluded in the first telephone call. If no urgent solution
is offered in the calls, the Center gets in contact with the
relevant institutions and agencies and the demands are
concluded within 72 hours. You can get more detailed
information from the web site www.csgb.gov.tr or
through phone number (0312) 465 60 00.
It is also possible to refer to the relevant institutions
and agencies via Prime Ministry Communication Center
(BİMER) and Information Application.
19
THE GENERAL DIRECTORATE ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
Eskişehir Yolu Söğütözü Mah.
2177 Sok. No: 10/A Kat: 20-21
Çankaya/Ankara/ TURKEY
Phone: +90 312 705 91 77 / +90 312 705 91 78
Fax: +90 312 705 91 94 / +90 312 705 91 95
http://www.kadininstatusu.gov.tr