Women at work and in the family: a discussion on reconciliation policy practices

Abstract

This article addresses the social policy agenda on women, family, and work to highlight where Turkey is positioned in the European social policy realm regarding gender and employment. the article first discusses on what grounds Turkey has been largely included in the Southern European welfare regime category by placing an emphasis on familialism inherent in the regulations. Secondly, policy implementations in Turkey from 1980s up to present particularly regarding maternal employment are critically discussed. It is argued that regardless of the differences between Turkey and the other countries implementing Southern European welfare regulations, particularly in terms of the predominant religion, the fact that family (hence mainly women as caregivers) is the main provider of welfare creates a basis on which a welfare state cluster is formed. Based on this notion, this article underlines the importance of reinforcing men's roles in the private sphere in Turkey, considering the differentiated burden women are saddled with in this particular context in accordance with the welfare regime category Turkey has been included in.