Women’s Entrepreneurship in Patriarchal Societies: The Case of Women’s Cooperatives in Turkey

This chapter explores the limits of and prospects for women’s entrepreneurship in patriarchal communities. The chapter investigates the patriarchal institutions and societal norms which work against women’s entrepreneurial activities and women’s presence in socioeconomic life in general. It also delves into women’s strategies to bargain, deal, and cope with patriarchal norms and institutions. The research is based on an extensive fieldwork on the case of Turkey, a country replete with patriarchal norms and institutions. The author conducts in-depth semi-structured interviews with members of women’s cooperatives throughout Turkey to better understand and explain the obstacles against women’s entrepreneurship in patriarchal societies and how women deal with these obstacles in their daily, entrepreneurial practices. In light of the fieldwork findings, the chapter concludes with policy implications and recommendations for more egalitarian and prosperous societies