10 million women excluded from the workforce
The report by the Public Services Employees Union of Turkey (Genel-İş) highlights the increasing precarization of women’s labor and the deepening inequalities. According to the report, 10 million women remain outside the workforce, and one in four full-time working women is uninsured.
BirGün/ANKARA
The Public Services Employees Union of Turkey (Genel-İş), affiliated with DİSK, has published the Women’s Labor Report, which examines the status of women’s labor in Turkey and globally, shedding light on the challenges women face in working life.
According to the report, the female employment rate remains at only 32.5%, while for men, it reaches 66.7%. Women’s unemployment in Turkey is nearly twice the EU average. The report reveals that women’s labor is undervalued, and the majority of employed women work informally and without job security. Women are particularly subjected to low wages and flexible working conditions, while unionization rates remain critically low.
The report states that 6.657 million women are unable to participate in the workforce due to domestic work responsibilities. Additionally, 3.442 million women remain out of employment due to family or personal reasons. In total, 10 million women are excluded from the labor force due to household and family-related responsibilities.
ONE IN FOUR WOMEN IS UNINSURED
According to the report, 24.4% of full-time working women are employed informally and without job security. As of the last quarter of 2024, out of 10.855 million employed women, 6.557 million were working full-time and registered, while 2.122 million were also full-time but employed informally. This means that one in every four full-time working women is uninsured.
The rate of informal employment is even higher in part-time work, where only 35% of part-time working women are insured, while 65% are unregistered and uninsured.
Regarding women’s unemployment rates, Turkey ranks significantly above the European Union (EU) average. According to Eurostat’s November 2024 data, the official female unemployment rate among EU member states stood at 6.1%, whereas in Turkey, it reached 11.7%. Among European countries, Turkey ranks fourth in female unemployment, following Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, and Spain.
ONE OUT OF EVERY 10 WOMEN WORKERS IS UNIONISED
As of July 2024, the unionization rate among women in Turkey was reported as 11.4%, compared to 16.3% for men. The report also indicates that the unionization rate among female workers has dropped to 6.8%. The sectors with the highest levels of women’s unionization are the general services sector, primarily organized in municipalities, at 40.3%; the banking, finance, and insurance sector at 31.0%; and the healthcare and social services sector, mainly in caregiving services, at 27.3%.
DİSK/GENEL-İŞ outlines the following demands:
- Secure, full-time, and adequately paid job opportunities must be created to increase female employment.
- March 8 should be recognized as a paid holiday for female workers.
- The İstanbul Convention and Law No. 6284 should be effectively enforced.
- Childcare, as well as care for the sick, elderly, and disabled, should be provided as public services, and social policies should be implemented to relieve women of the burden of domestic labor.
- Instead of flexible work models, full-time and secure employment opportunities should be created for women, and working hours should be reduced.
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