Women's Employment in Turkey: Discursive Basis and Policy Framework Under JDP Rule

This article aims to dissect the discursive basis and policy orientations of the Justice and Development Party (JDP) rule towards women’s employment in Turkey. JDP’s commitment to neoliberal economic policy on the one hand and political Islam on the other creates a discursive paradox, most expressive in their gender perspective, particularly regarding women’s employment, also reflecting on policy making. While there have been significant legal institutional undertakings to promote women’s labor force participation and grant stronger benefits and social rights for working women, there have been limited returns towards the economic empowerment of women. The most important reason for this is the excessive focus on social policy instruments rather than industrial or labor market policy alternatives. The first section will provide an overview of the political economy of JDP rule, more specifically its impact on the labor market and women’s access to the labor market. The second section will present the major arguments and aspirations of the strategy papers and action plans of various government offices. The third section will focus on major policy areas towards improving labor market access of women. The fourth section will present a comparative analysis of the discourse analysis and the policy applications with the structural outcomes regarding women in the labor market.