Reinforcement and erosion of traditional gender roles among young people in a poor metropolitan area of Turkey

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to contribute to the existing studies on the young women’s transition to adulthood in the case of Turkish women’s exclusion from the labour market. The issue is discussed largely within the boundaries of traditional gender restrictions that keep women out of employment. Herein, we argue that the gender-based control of young women, perceived as the reason for their exclusion from the labour market, may be used by disadvantaged women as a way of avoiding difficult and unfavourable employment situations. Similarly, the gender roles imposed on men could also not be fulfilled due to the same restrictive labour market conditions. Furthermore, we suggest that the poverty simultaneously strengthens and erodes the very base of the traditional gender structure for both young women and young men, while forcing the young women out of employment and the young men to the unstable working conditions. This argument is based on a study conducted in Altındağ, Ankara with a sample of 279 females and 340 males aged between 15 and 24. A mixed methodology, comprising a survey questionnaire followed by 60 in-depth interviews and 4 focus group discussions, was employed for this study.

KEYWORDS:

• Labour market exclusion of women
• disadvantaged young people
• transition to adulthood
• gender roles
• Turkey

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCiD

H. Çağlar Enneli http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5808-9800

Pınar Enneli http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6831-5389

Notes

1 At the time of research, both primary and secondary education, eight years in total, were compulsory. It followed high school education and, if one passes the exam conducted centrally by the state, finally university education. However, as seen in the findings of both UNDP report and our research, even compulsory education stage does not guarantee the 100% enrollment in formal education.

2 During the period of our research, net minimum wage was between 481.55 Turkish lira in the first half of 2008 and 599.12 Turkish lira in the second half of 2010 (ÇSGB [Turkish Ministry of Labour and Social Security] Net Minimum Wage Data by Years). 1 US Dollar was around 1.16 TRY in January 2008 and 1.56 TRY in December 2010 (TCMB [Central Bank of the Turkish Republic] Exchange Rates Data).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the TÜBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) [grant number 107K456].