The Role of Women's Cooperatives in Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality

Abstract

Women’s participation in social life is not only a matter of human rights but also a social profit to gain through the reflection of their talents, skills, and perspectives. Major factors that hinder women’s existence in social life can be listed as the lower rate of women in workforce, lower pay for equal work, lower representation of women in managerial positions, and housework and childcare being considered as women’s responsibility. Enabling women to participate more actively in social life requires developing and enforcing social and economic policies. Cooperations are suggested and used as a model all around the world to support women socioeconomically, to reduce gender inequality, and achieve local development through their economic contribution. This study aimed to search the effects of women's cooperatives on women's empowerment and their societal contributions by compiling the research on women’s cooperatives. The results imply beyond providing employment and income, women’s cooperations make a major contribution to economic and social development of women by strengthening their social capital and enhancing their self-confidence.

Keywords

• Women’s cooperatives
• women’s empowerment
• social gender equality

Kadın Kooperatiflerinin Kadınların Güçlendirilmesi ve Toplumsal Cinsiyet Eşitliğinin Sağlanmasındaki Rolü

Abstract

Kadınların toplumsal süreçlerde var olmaları yalnızca bir insan hakları meselesi değil aynı zamanda kadınların yetenek, beceri ve bakış açısının süreçlere yansımasıyla toplumsal bir kazançtır. İşgücüne katılan kadın oranının daha düşük olması, eşit işe karşılık kadınların daha düşük ücret alması, yönetim kademesindeki işlerde kadınların daha düşük oranda temsil edilmesi ve ev ve çocuk bakımı gibi işlerinin ağırlıklı olarak kadınların sorumluluğu olarak görülmesi kadınların toplumsal hayatta var olmaları önünde ciddi bir engel oluşturmaktadır. Ancak kadınların toplumsal hayatta daha fazla var olmalarının sağlanması bir takım sosyal ve ekonomik politikaların oluşturulması ve desteklenmesini gerektirir. Kooperatifler dünyada kadınların sosyo-ekonomik olarak güçlendirilmesinde, toplumsal cinsiyet eşitsizliğinin azaltılmasında ve ekonomik katkıyla yerel kalkınmanın sağlanmasında kullanılabilecek bir model olarak önerilmekte ve kullanılmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, kadın kooperatifleriyle ilgili yapılan araştırmalar derlenmiş ve araştırma bulgularının ışığında kadın kooperatiflerinin kadınların güçlendirilmesi üzerine etkisi ve toplumsal katkıları tartışılmıştır. Kadın kooperatifleriyle ilgili yapılan araştırmalar, kooperatiflerin kadınların bir iş ve gelir elde etmelerinin ötesinde sosyal sermayelerinin güçlenmesine ve kendilerine güvenlerinin gelişmesine katkı sağlayarak kadınların ekonomik ve sosyal olarak güçlendirilmesinde önemli bir rol oynadığına işaret etmektedir.

Keywords

• Kadın kooperatifleri
• kadınların güçlendirilmesi
• toplumsal cinsiyet eşitliği

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