An analysis of trends in female labor force participation in Turkey

High female participation in the labor market implies both an advance in the relative economic and social position of women and also an increased utilization of human potential for economic development. The female labor force participation rates have increased substantially in developed countries. However, either many developing countries or Turkey the female labor force participation rates show a declining trend. In Turkey, from 1955 to 2009 labor force participation rate diminished from 72 percent to about 25 percent. This ratio is nearly one third of the rate for men in recent years. Additionally, Turkey has the lowest rate among OECD countries. Several factors can be taken to explain this trend. In this paper, we investigate the reasons for the declining trend in the female labor force in Turkey. Some of those: recent increases in enrollment rates at all levels of schooling delay entry into the labor market of younger, the changing composition of the labor force away from agriculture towards non-agricultural activities, cultural values against their participation in market work, their lack of education and marketable skills, unfavorable labor market conditions, huge wage gap and imparity promotion opportunities between female and male workers, exclusion from social security, and early retirement system