Despite global progress in gender equality, Turkey continues to face deep-rooted structural inequalities in its labor market. These inequalities manifest through occupational segregation, persistent gender pay gaps, and limited access to emerging job sectors. As the nature of work changes with technological innovation and green transformation, understanding the gendered dynamics of the labor market and removing the barriers to women’s employment in Turkey is more urgent than ever. This article explores the structural challenges Turkish women face in employment, how future job trends may reinforce or challenge these dynamics, and what policy interventions are needed to promote inclusive and equitable participation in the workforce.
The Gendered Structure of Turkey’s Labor Market
The Turkish labor market remains highly gendered. Women’s labor force participation rate, although increasing slowly over the past decade, still lags behind the OECD average. As of recent data, less than one-third of women in Turkey are part of the active labor force. This is not merely a reflection of personal choice but a result of systemic constraints shaped by patriarchal norms, rigid gender roles, and unequal distribution of unpaid care responsibilities.
Employment is also marked by horizontal and vertical segregation. Women are overrepresented in low-paid, low-security sectors such as care work, education, textiles, and retail, while underrepresented in male-dominated fields like construction, transport, engineering, and technology. Even within female-dominated sectors, women often occupy lower-level positions, while leadership roles remain largely inaccessible. This segregation reproduces economic dependence and restricts women’s mobility across different sectors of the economy.
Jobs of the Future: Opportunities and Risks for Women
The advent of digitalization, automation, and the green economy is reshaping global labor markets. In Turkey, as elsewhere, future jobs will require advanced digital literacy, adaptability, and skills in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. While these trends create new opportunities, they also carry the risk of deepening existing gender inequalities unless proactive steps are taken.
Women in Turkey are significantly underrepresented in STEM education and tech-related industries. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, women make up less than 20% of the workforce in ICT and less than 15% in engineering. As the job market becomes increasingly digital and data-driven, the lack of gender diversity in these areas could result in a new wave of exclusion for women. Without strong interventions, women may find themselves trapped in “low-opportunity” job tracks, while men dominate high-growth, high-pay sectors.
On the other hand, jobs related to the care economy, green transformation (e.g., renewable energy, sustainability planning), and social innovation could offer a gateway for women’s participation — provided that these sectors receive proper policy attention and investment.
Key Barriers to Women’s Employment in Turkey
Several interlinked barriers continue to limit women’s full and equal participation in Turkey’s workforce:
Unpaid Care Work and the Burden of Domestic Responsibilities
Women in Turkey spend, on average, more than four times as many hours on unpaid domestic and caregiving tasks compared to men. This severely restricts their availability for full-time employment or career advancement. The lack of accessible and affordable childcare services remains a major structural barrier.
Cultural and Institutional Norms
Deep-seated patriarchal norms still shape social expectations around women’s roles in family and public life. In conservative regions, social pressure may discourage women from working altogether. Even in urban areas, employers may discriminate based on marital or parental status, assuming women will be “less committed” to their jobs.
Legal and Policy Gaps
While Turkey has ratified various international conventions on gender equality, enforcement remains inconsistent. Legal protections against workplace discrimination and harassment are often inadequate or poorly implemented. Maternity and parental leave policies are outdated and reinforce the notion that caregiving is solely a woman’s responsibility.
Lack of Gender-Sensitive Skills Development
Many vocational training and employment programs in Turkey are not gender-sensitive. Women may face barriers to entry, lack role models, or be steered into stereotypically “feminine” fields. In rural areas, mobility constraints and limited access to digital technologies further exacerbate these challenges.
Policy Recommendations: Towards a Gender-Responsive Labor Market
To build an inclusive and resilient labor market, Turkey must adopt a multi-pronged approach:
Invest in universal, affordable childcare and eldercare services, enabling women to enter and remain in the workforce without disproportionate burden.
Promote women’s participation in STEM and emerging sectors through scholarships, mentorship programs, and gender-sensitive curriculum reforms.
Enforce anti-discrimination and equal pay laws, ensuring that women are not penalized for motherhood or family status.
Strengthen social protection mechanisms, including flexible work arrangements and shared parental leave, to promote work-life balance for all.
Support rural and disadvantaged women by expanding access to digital tools, transportation, and microfinance.
Engage the private sector, encouraging companies to implement gender equality action plans and support women in leadership.
The Future of Work Must Be Feminist
As Turkey prepares for a future defined by innovation, environmental urgency, and shifting economic paradigms, it must also confront its historical and structural gender inequalities in the labor market. Women’s economic empowerment is not only a matter of fairness but a prerequisite for inclusive growth, democratic resilience, and sustainable development. By dismantling the barriers that exclude women from the jobs of today and tomorrow, Turkey has the opportunity to unlock its full human potential and shape a more equitable future for all.
