Promoting Gender Equality in the World of Work
BACKGROUND
While most women remain out of the labour market, many women are in fact working in the informal economy. From ILO perspective, not only accessing employment opportunities but also quality of job and working conditions are very important for its global goal of decent work for all.
A joint report called “Working Conditions in a Global Perspective” by the ILO and the European research agency (Eurofound), released in May 2019, for instance, provides striking comparative analysis on job quality around the world, including Turkey in terms of work hours, gender pay differences and opportunities for skills’ upgrading: major topics subject to Phase II of the Programme.
According to the Report, one-third of workers in the EU experience intensive work (tight deadlines and high-speed work) while in Turkey half of workers face intensive work. Working time differences are stark across countries, with one-sixth of workers in EU countries working more than 48 hours per week, while around half of workers do so in Turkey. Over 70 per cent of workers in the Republic of Korea are able to take an hour or two off work to take care of personal and family matters while the figure is 20-40 per cent in Turkey, according to report. Regardless of the country, the least-educated get less access to opportunities to grow and develop their skills. The proportion of workers who report learning new things at work varies between 72 and 84 per cent in the EU while the figure is lower in Turkey with 57 percent.
Moreover, considering the high rates of women’s employment in the informal sector in Turkey, it could be concluded that women’s working conditions are far from being in accord with the four pillars of decent work definition of the ILO, namely standards and basic rights at work, social dialogue, social security for all, and productive employment.
Phase I of the Project “More and Better Jobs for Women: Women’s Empowerment through Decent Work in Turkey,” was implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Turkish Employment Agency (ISKUR) with funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) in 2013-2018.
Important outcomes have been achieved in the Phase I of the Project at the policy level as well as in terms of ensuring access for women to decent work opportunities and raising awareness on gender equality and working conditions in order to support strengthening of women's employment in Turkey.
Phase II, which is designed as ‘More and Better Jobs for Women Programme funded by SIDA is implemented under the “Gender Equality at Work Portfolio” of the ILO Office for Turkey.
Under the programme, various projects will be carried out in the provinces of Ankara, Bursa, Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli and Konya to promote women’s access to employment opportunities and improve women’s working conditions.
In this framework, joint works will be carried out with multiple institutions including the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR), the General Directorate of Labour, Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services and the other related public institutions, employers’ and workers’ organisations, women’s organisations, universities as well as private sector to improve women’s working conditions in the selected sectors of textiles, commerce and office, food, general services and metal.
For overcoming the challenges mentioned above, ILO Turkey office carries out a comprehensive programmme called “More and Better Jobs for Women-II” (2019-2022) that is funded (3.280.481,1 USD) by Sweden, through Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)
The programme aims both at supporting women job seekers’ access to employment opportunities and at contributing to improvement of decent working conditions for working women.
The programme hence includes various projects focusing of different dimensions of difficulties that prevent women to access decent work in cooperation with key actors of the world of work in order to increase the number of women who work under decent work conditions and contribute to the promotion of gender equality.
The programme is conducted in 6 pilot provinces which are Ankara, Bursa, Istanbul, Konya, Kocaeli, İzmir.
For more information about Phase 2: “More and Better Jobs for Women Programme”
Program Information Brochure
Videos
- ILO Director-General Message for the elimination of gender-based violence
- 4 Celebrities – “4 Messages : Let’s Ratify ILO Convention 190” – Short Collage Video
- Haluk Bilginer : Let’s Ratify C190
- Öykü Karayel : Let’s Ratify C190
- Yiğit Özşener : Let’s Ratify C190
- Vahide Perçin : Let’s Ratify C190
- Collage Video on Decent Works for Domestic Workers – 3 Domestic Workers – 3 Celebrities
- Speech by ILO Turkey Director Numan Özcan at a webinar on launch of the Report on Measuring Gender Pay Gap in Turkey – 30 September 2020
- Videos prepared to mark 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (25 November - 10 December 2020)
- Dijital Stories for 5 Persons Subjected to Violence & Harrasment at Work – December 2019 - Turkey
News
2023
- ILO Continues Private Sector Trainings Promoting Sustainability in Gender-Based Practices
- Özçelik-İş Union Prepares to Enforce its “Policy Paper on Zero Tolerance for Violence”, Prepared in the Light of ILO Convention
- ILO workshop identifies potential common approaches to strengthening the involvement of women in leadership positions among its social partners
- Turkish Metal Workers Union take an important step in drawing up a zero tolerance for violence policy paper
- ILO continues its training activities at Koop-Iş Union, promoting the elimination of violence and harassment in the workplace
- ILO Türkiye Office: “We are ready to support all efforts aimed at improving the working rights of domestic workers”
- ILO Türkiye Office plans to conduct a study for addressing the data gap concerning the prevention of violence and harassment in the workplace
- Roadmap outlined in ILO workshop on "Women’s Representation in Decision-Making Mechanisms of Social Partners"
- Expanding its efforts beyond trade unions and private sector, ILO is now working to implement the measures recommended by ILO Convention on Violence and Harassment in civil society organizations
2022
- Programme Advisory Committee meeting held for “More and Better Jobs for Women Programme”
- ILO Office for Türkiye and social partners, civil society, private sector come together for a world of work in line with C190 to prevent violence and harassment in the world of work
- Joint event by Women's Leadership Platform and ILO Office for Türkiye calls for “Zero Tolerance for Violence in the World of Work”
- DISK adopts Union Policy Paper in line with ILO’s Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190)
- Another significant step towards implementing C190: Oz-Iplik-Is Union signs “Zero Tolerance for Violence” policy paper
- Tez-Koop-Is Union adopts a Union Policy Paper in line with ILO’s Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190)
- Workshops organized by the ILO Office for Türkiye in cooperation with trade unions and private sector contribute to preventing violence and harassment at work
- ILO Office for Türkiye’s new report on Empowering Women Through Cooperatives offers strategy recommendations
- ILO Office for Turkey delivers “Training for Change-Makers” for a world of work in line with ILO Violence and Harassment Convention (No. 190)
- By its message of “Let’s Pay Dues to Domestic Workers”, ILO Office for Türkiye calls support for ILO’s Domestic Workers Convention
- Labour unions of domestic workers call for ratification of ILO Domestic Workers Convention (C189)
- ILO Turkey Office renews its call for Ratification of Violence and Harassment Convention (C190)
2021
- Effective monitoring and coordinated work emphasized at Advisory Committee meeting for “More and Better Jobs for Women Programme”
- Efforts intensified by ILO, EBRD and UMT to increase women’s employment through scaling up municipal services in early childhood care and education
- ILO’s Awareness-Raising Campaign for Decent Work for Domestic Workers Continues at Technical Level
- Results-Based Management Training Delivered to National Technical Team for Effectively Monitoring Turkey’s First Action Plan on Women’s Employment
- Working to Eliminate Gender Wage Gap in the World of Work at Country Level, ILO Embarks on Achieving Equal Pay at Enterprise Level
- ILO, EBRD and UMT Sign Protocol to Increase Women’s Employment through Promoting Early Childhood Care Services
- ILO’s New Report on Domestic Work Calls for Creating More Social Protection and Secure Employment for Domestic Workers
- Training on Results-Based Management Provided to ISKUR Staff for Effective Implementation and Monitoring of Turkey’s First-Ever Women’s Employment Action Plan
- ILO-EBRD Report Proposes Three Models of Early Childhood and Education to increase Women’s Employment
- ILO’s “Zero Tolerance for Violence” Training Raises Awareness against Violence at Work
- ILO Calls Support for Social Dialogue and ILO Convention for Decent Home-Work
- Relevant parties meet for Report on Childcare Service Practices prepared jointly by ILO Office for Turkey and EBRD through a social dialogue perspective
2020
- Programme Consultative Committee meets and shares recommendations for More and Better Jobs for Women
- KARSAN becomes the first company in Turkey implementing the “Zero Tolerance Policy for Violence at Work” under the scope of ILO’s Violence and Harassment Convention
- Gender Wage Gap is 15.6% in Turkey, according to the joint study by ILO Turkey Office and TURKSTAT
- ILO and TurkStat jointly prepared a Report on “Measuring The Gender Wage Gap: Turkey Case”
- ILO calls for ratification of Domestic Workers Convention to protect the rights of domestic workers, one of the hardest-hit groups by COVID-19 crisis
- Pivotal Step by Business Community with ILO Support: KARSAN Signs UN Women's Empowerment Principles!
- ILO’s Gender Equality Works Transform KARSAN’s Corporate Communications Language
- Women Starting Own Businesses with support from ILO-ISKUR Project Create New Jobs in Bursa
- ILO and TURKSTAT Sign Cooperation Protocol to Reduce Gender Pay Gap in Turkey
- The National Technical Team, Who Prepared Turkey’s first-ever Action Plan on Women's Employment, Holds Its First Meeting for Effective Monitoring
2019
- ILO-led Gender Equality Trainings Brings Women’s Employment Award to KARSAN
- ILO calls for ratification of Convention on Violence and Harassment in the World of Work!
- “Handbook Addressing Violence and Harassment against Women in the World of Work” Released
- ILO-EBRD Workshop Discusses Decent Work Potential for Women through Early Childhood Care Services
- ILO’s Trainings Raise Awareness of Employees at Enterprises on Gender Equality
- ILO and ISKUR continue to join forces for women’s employment
- KARSAN and ILO Take Action for Gender Equality at Work!
- ILO draws attention to gender pay gap in the Conference on the occasion of International Women’s Day
- ILO contributes to gender mainstreaming through Participatory Gender Audit Training
2018
- ILO Office for Turkey launches “Gender Equality Model in SMEs” in Turkey for gender equality at work
- ILO organises a Multi-lateral Conference on Combating Violence and Harassment against Women at Work
- ILO and SIDA sign a cooperation agreement to promote women’s employment in Turkey
Publications
2023
2022
- Information Note on Activities between January – July 2022
- ILO Convention No.189 Concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers – Brochure
2021
- Information Note on Activities Held in 2021
- Useful Information for Domestic Workers - Brochure
- Useful Information for Employers Who Employ Domestic Workers - Brochure
- Violence and harassment in the world of work: A guide on Convention No. 190 and Recommendation No. 206
- Supporting Women’s Employment through Institutional Collaboration on Early Childhood Care and Education
2020
- Home bounded - Global outreach: Home-based workers in Turkey
- Measuring the Gender Pay Gap
- Infographic Poster on Gender Wage Gap in Turkey
2019
- “Handbook Addressing Violence and Harassment against Women in the World of Work”
- Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190)
- Violence and Harassment Recommendation, 2019 (No. 206)
- Understanding the Gender Pay Gap - Infographic
2018
- Guide Book on Women Entrepreneurs
- Adult Education Principles and Methods for Mainstreaming of Gender Equality in Public Employment Services
- Mainstreaming of Gender Equality in Public Employment Services
- Training Manual on Gender Equality at Work
- Gender Responsive Job and Vocational Counselling
- Photo Album on Entrepreneur Women
2017
- Analysis of Konya Labour Market from a Gender Equality Perspective
- A Mapping Study of Early Childhood Care and Education Services
- A Better Practice for Promoting Women’s Entrepreneurship through New Entrepreneurship Programs
2016
- Analysis of İstanbul Labour Market from a Gender Equality Perspective
- Analysis of Bursa Labour Market from a Gender Equality Perspective
- Analysis of Ankara Labour Market from a Gender Equality Perspective
- Action Plan on Women’s Employment
- Infographic on Gender Equality in the World of Work