Türkiye’de Çocuk İşçiliği, 2014-2024: Bölgesel Farklılıklar, Kayıt Dışılık ve Cinsiyet Farklılıkları

Abstract

Çocuk işçiliği, toplumsal kırılganlığın ve eğitime eşitsiz erişimin önemli bir göstergesi olmaya devam etmektedir. Bu çalışma, Hanehalkı İşgücü Araştırması’nın 2014 ve 2024 yıllarına ait verilerini kullanarak Türkiye’de çocuk işçiliğinin seyrini incelemektedir. İki bağımlı değişken tahmin edilmektedir. Bunlardan ilki, aynı anda hem çalışan hem de okula kayıtlı olmayan çocukları esas alan birincil gösterge; ikincisi ise buna ek olarak sosyal güvenlik kaydının bulunmamasını şart koşan ve korumasız çocuk işçiliğinin en ağır biçimini yakalayan ikincil göstergedir. Kümelenmiş standart hatalarla ağırlıklandırılmış logit modeller tahmin edilmiş ve temel sonuçlar ortalama marjinal etkiler olarak raporlanmıştır. Dört temel bulgu öne çıkmaktadır. Birincisi, çocuk işçiliğinin koşullu olasılığı genel olarak 2,2 yüzde puan azalmış, enformel gösterge ise daha keskin bir düşüşle 2,9 yüzde puan gerilemiştir. Ancak bu iki düşüş de önemli ölçüde bölgesel farklılıkları gizlemektedir. İkincisi, daha önce İstanbul dışındaki bölgeler arasında çocuk işçiliği oranlarının en düşük olduğu Türkiye’nin batısında yapısal bir tersine dönüş yaşanmış; bölgenin göreli üstünlüğü on yıl içinde negatiften pozitife geçmiştir. Üçüncüsü, toplumsal cinsiyet farkı artmış; erkek olmanın ortalama marjinal etkisi 7,5 yüzde puandan 9,5 yüzde puana yükselmiştir. Dördüncüsü, okula kayıtlıyken çalışma oranı tüm bölgelerde yükselmiş; bu da Türkiye’de genç yaştaki çocukların maruz kaldığı emek yükünün azalmaktan çok biçim değiştirdiğini göstermiştir.

Keywords

• Çocuk işçiliği
• Kayıt dışı istihdam
• Bölgesel farklılıklar
• Türkiye

Child Labor in Türkiye, 2014-2024: Regional Disparities, Informality, and Gender Differences

Abstract

Child labor remains an important indicator of social vulnerability and unequal access to education. This study examines trends in child labor in Türkiye using Household Labor Force Survey, the 2014 and 2024 annual files. Two dependent variables are estimated: a primary proxy for children simultaneously employed and not enrolled in school, and a secondary proxy that additionally requires the absence of social security registration, capturing the most severe form of unprotected child labor. Weighted logit models with cluster-robust standard errors are estimated and average marginal effects are reported as principal results. Four main findings emerge. First, the conditional probability of child labor declined by 2.2 percentage points overall, while the informal proxy fell more steeply by 2.9 percentage points. Both declines conceal substantial regional heterogeneity. Second, the West of Türkiye, previously the region with the lowest child labor rates outside Istanbul, experienced a structural reversal, with its regional premium shifting from negative to positive over the decade. Third, the gender gap widened, with the average marginal effect of being male rising from 7.5 to 9.5 percentage points. Fourth, the rate of working while enrolled in school increased universally, suggesting that adolescents’ labor burden changed form rather than declined.

Keywords

• Child labor
• Informal employment
• Regional disparities
• Türkiye

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