THE SILENT RESISTANCE OF GENDER: THE HYSTERESIS EFFECT IN WOMEN'S UNEMPLOYMENT IN TURKIYE

This study examines the stationarity properties of the female unemployment rate in Turkiye within the framework of the unemployment hysteresis hypothesis. While the hysteresis literature has largely focused on aggregate unemployment dynamics, gender-based analyses remain limited, particularly for high-frequency data. Drawing on feminist macroeconomic approaches that conceptualize labor markets as institutionally gendered structures, the study evaluates whether economic shocks generate persistent effects in female unemployment. Monthly seasonally adjusted female unemployment rate data covering the period 2005:01–2025:09 are employed. The hysteresis hypothesis is tested using a multi-stage econometric strategy including Augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF), Phillips–Perron (PP), KPSS and Fourier-based unit root tests. The findings indicate that the female unemployment series is non-stationary at level and becomes stationary after first differencing, implying an I(1) process. Fourier terms are not statistically significant, suggesting that persistence is primarily linear rather than driven by smooth structural shifts. These results provide empirical evidence supporting the hysteresis hypothesis for female unemployment in Turkiye. The findings suggest that labor market shocks produce long-term effects and that gender-based structural inequalities may reinforce persistence mechanisms. The study contributes conceptually by integrating gendered labor market theory with hysteresis analysis and methodologically by employing high-frequency data and multiple unit root specifications. Policy implications underline the necessity of gender-sensitive labor market interventions aimed at preventing long-term scarring effects in female employment.