Kadın Kooperatifleri: Toplumsal Dönüşüm ve Yerel Ekonominin Önemli Aktörleri Üzerine Bir İçerik Analizi

Öz

Türkiye’de kadın emeği, uzun yıllar boyunca görünmez bir iş gücü olarak değerlendirilmiş, özellikle kırsal alanlarda ücretsiz aile işçiliği ve kayıt dışı istihdamla sınırlandırılmıştır. Son yıllarda artan kadın kooperatifleri, bu görünmez emeği ekonomik, sosyal ve kültürel açıdan görünür kılan önemli örgütlenmeler hâline gelmiştir. Bu çalışma, kadın kooperatiflerinin sürdürülebilir kalkınmaya katkılarını ve kadınların bireysel, toplumsal ve kurumsal düzeyde nasıl güçlendiğini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Araştırma soruları, kadın kooperatiflerinin yerel ekonomi ve toplumsal kalkınmaya etkisi, hangi temaların ön plana çıktığı ve destek mekanizmalarının nasıl işlediği etrafında şekillendirilmiştir. Araştırma verileri, Türkiye Radyo Televizyon Kurumu (TRT) tarafından yayımlanan ve İç Anadolu Bölgesi’ndeki kadın kooperatiflerini konu alan Hayallerinin Peşinde adlı programın 12 bölümünden elde edilmiştir. Veriler, yönlendirilmiş içerik analizi yöntemiyle çözümlenmiş; beş üst tema ve bunlara bağlı alt temalar doğrultusunda sınıflandırılmıştır. Bulgular, kadınların yalnızca üretim süreçlerinde değil; teknik beceriler, girişimcilik kültürü, karar alma ve liderlik alanlarında da aktif aktörler olarak temsil edildiklerini göstermektedir. Ayrıca, aile desteği öne çıkarken, Sivil Toplum Kuruluşları (STK) iş birliklerinin sınırlı kaldığı görülmüştür. Sonuç olarak çalışma, kadın kooperatiflerinin sürdürülebilir kalkınma, toplumsal cinsiyet eşitliği ve kadın emeğinin görünürlüğü açısından kritik bir rol oynadığını ortaya koymakta; literatürde ekonomik odaklı araştırmaların ötesinde kültürel ve söylemsel bir boyut sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Sürdürülebilir Beceri
• Kadın Emeği
• Toplumsal Cinsiyet
• Girişimcilik
• Kadın Girişimciliği
• Türkiye

Women’s Cooperatives as Agents of Social Transformation and the Local Economy: A Content Analysis

Öz

In Türkiye, women’s labor has long been considered invisible work, particularly evident in rural areas, where it is been limited to unpaid family labor and informal employment. In recent years, the growing number of women's cooperatives has transformed this invisible labor into significant organizations that makes this invisible labor visible economically, socially, and culturally. This study examines women's cooperatives' contributions to sustainable development and how women are empowered at individual, social, and institutional levels. The research questions focus on the impact of women's cooperatives on the local economy and social development, which themes are most prominent, and how support mechanisms operate. The research data were obtained from 12 episodes of the program Hayallerinin Peşinde (In Pursuit of Dreams), broadcast by the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) which features women's cooperatives in the Central Anatolia Region. The data was analyzed using a directed content analysis method and classified under five main themes and their corresponding sub-themes. The findings show that women are represented not only in production processes but also as active actors in technical skills, entrepreneurial culture, decision-making, and leadership. Additionally, while family support emerged as a key factor, Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) were found to be limited. In conclusion, the study highlights that women's cooperatives play a critical role in sustainable development, gender equality, and the visibility of women's labor; it offers a cultural and discursive dimension beyond the economic-focused research in the literature.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Sustainable Skills
• Women
• Social Gender
• Entrepreneurship
• Women’s Entrepreneurship
• Türkiye

Kaynakça

1. Adar, A. Ş., & Dedeoğlu, S. (2023). The impact of women's cooperatives on women's empowerment in Turkey. Fe Journal: Feminist Critique, 15(2), 8–49.
2. Adar, A., Dedeoğlu, S., & Kurtuluş, G. (2024). The paradox of between women's cooperatives and cooperative principles in Turkey. Public Administration Journal, 57(4).
3. Aile ve Sosyal Hizmetler Bakanlığı. (2018). Women's Empowerment Strategy Document and Action Plan.2018-2023. https://www.aile.gov.tr/KSGM/PDF/kadinin_guclenmesi_strateji_ve_eylem_plani.pdf
4. Aile ve Sosyal Hizmetler Bakanlığı. (2024). Women's Empowerment Strategy Document and Action Plan 2024–2028. https://kadingirisimci.gov.tr/yayinlar/2024-2028-kadinin-guclenmesi-strateji-belgesi-ve-eylem-plani/
5. Akgül, D. (2021). The contributions of the Baciyân-Rum and the TOBB women entrepreneurs boards on women's participation in business life. Politics, Economics and Administrative Sciences Journal of Kirsehir Ahi Evran University, Special Issue, 114–131.
6. Akkaya, F. A. (2018). The importance of women cooperatives in sustainable rural tourism in Turkey and analysis of their financial performance [Doctoral dissertation, Inonu University, Department of Business Administration, Accounting and Finance Division].
7. Başaran, H., & Irmak, E. (2022). The importance of cooperatives in local product production and local women's entrepreneurship in Devrek. Ahi Evran Academy, 3(1), 19–31.
8. Chen, M., Sebstad, J., & O’Connell, L. (1999). Counting the invisible workforce: The case of homebased workers. World Development, 27(3), 603–610.

9. Dedeoğlu, S. (2010). Visible hands–invisible women: Garment production in Turkey. Feminist Economics, 16(4), 1–32.
10. Değirmenci, S. (2023). Women cooperatives as a model of organization: Criticism of success criteria in patriarchal capitalism. Fe Journal: Feminist Critique, 15(1), 210–231.
11. Doğan, H. G., & Atabay, A. A. (2022). Agricultural development cooperatives and women members interaction (Case of Bursa province). Gaziosmanpasa Journal of Scientific Research, 11(2), 219–235.
12. Duguid, F., Durutaş, G., & Wodzicki, M. (2015). The current situation of women's cooperatives in Turkey. World Bank.
13. Durmaz, Ş., & Baran, B. (2024). A study on women's cooperatives: The case of Antalya village market. Third Sector Social Economic Review, 59(3), 1997–2023.
14. Elçi, D. Ö. (2024). A descriptive approach to women's cooperatives: Şırnak kadin eli production and business cooperative. Istanbul Nişantaşı University Journal of Social Sciences, 12(1), 226–245.
15. Gürsoy, Ö. B. (2022). A survey on the rural women cooperatives active in e-commerce platforms in Turkey. Beykoz Akademi Dergisi, 10(1), 265–279.
16. Humble, Á. M. (2009). Technique triangulation for validation in directed content analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 8(3), 34–51.
17. İrmiş, A., & Boz, N. (2023). Women's cooperatives as an example of social entrepreneurship. Third Sector Social Economic Review, 58(3), 2088–2124.
18. Johansson, A., & Vinthagen, S. (2014). Dimensions of everyday resistance: An analytical framework. Critical Sociology, 1–19.
19. Karakuş, G. (2022). The role of women's cooperatives in women's empowerment and gender equality. Pamukkale University Journal of Business Research, 9(1), 247–259.
20. Kızıldağ, D. (2019). Women’s cooperatives as a tool of employment policy in Turkey. In Contemporary Issues in Behavioral Finance (pp. 65–76). Emerald Publishing Limited.
21. Köse, Z. (2022). A study on the role of agricultural cooperatives in rural development. Gaziantep Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 4(1), 33–42.
22. Kutay, T. (2022). The importance of women’s cooperatives in rural development: an evaluation based on Turkey. Politik Ekonomik Kuram, 6(1), 119–150.
23. Kurtuluş, G., & Demircan Yıldırım, P. (2023). Looking at women's co-operatives in Turkey from political power’s point of view: A feminist poststructuralist analysis. Memleket Siyaset Yönetim, 18(40), 441–460.
24. Nuhoğlu, E., & Hamamcı, E. D. E. (2025). The role of women’s cooperatives on local economic development. Third Sector Social Economic Review, 60(2), 1377–1403.
25. Öcal, Y., & Ercoskun, O. (2021). Ecological production and social sustainability in cities: Ankara Mamak women's cooperative (MAKKOP) Erzincan University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 14(Special Issue of the 20th Regional Science and Planning Congress), 76–86.
26. Özcengel, G. N., & Geçgin, E. (2022). A micro study on the role of women's cooperatives in combating women's poverty: The case of Niğde. Politik Ekonomik Kuram, 9(1), 55–79.
27. Patton, M. Q. (2002). Two decades of developments in qualitative inquiry: A personal, experiential perspective. Qualitative Social Work, 1(3), 261–283.
28. Putnam, R. D. (1993). The prosperous community. The American Prospect, 4(13), 35–42.
29. Sayın, Z. (2025). A qualitative research on the socially transformative role of women entrepreneurs and women's achievements in Turkey. Journal of Business Research-Turk, 17(1), 226–247.
30. Scott, J. C. (1985). Weapons of the weak: Everyday forms of peasant resistance. Yale University Press.
31. Serinikli, N. (2019). The Attitudes of The Micro Female Entrepreneurs in The Rural Area Towards Becoming A Cooperative: Agro-Toruism Woman Cooperative. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Development, 14(1), 45–57.
32. Şakırgün, N. (2024). The role of active membership of women's cooperatives in the empowerment of women: The case of Istanbul women's cooperatives [Master’s thesis, Istanbul Beykent University, Graduate School of Social Sciences].
33. Taş, H. Y., & Kazar, E. N. (2019). The effect of women’s cooperatives in İstanbul on women’s poverty. OPUS International Journal of Society Researches, 13(19), 1836–1863.
34. Topaloğlu, M., & Topaloğlu, H. (2017). Women entrepreneurial cooperatives in Turkey: Case of Bacıyan-ı Meram. Third Sector Social Economic Review, 52(Özel Sayı), 203–218.
35. Topuz, B. K., & Ege, F. (2024). Non-financial performance analysis of women cooperatives in Samsun province. Journal of Regional Development, 2(1), 28–44.
36. UNESCO. (2017). Education for sustainable development goals: Learning objectives. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000247444
37. United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for sustainable development (A/RES/70/1). New York, NY: UN General Assembly. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
38. Yıldırım, P. D. (2020). The role of the women co-operatives in rural development: Case study for Ahatlı women co-operative. ETU Journal of Social Sciences Institute, (11), 159–170.
39. Yıldırım, P. D., & Şenkal, A. (2025). Economic transformation through women’s cooperatives: The road from problems to solutions. Third Sector Social Economic Review, 60(1), 874–894.
40. Yıldırımalp, S., İslamoğlu, E., & Ateş Torun, M. (2021). The role and importance of women's cooperatives in economic and social life: The case of Antalya province. International Journal of Innovative Approaches in Social Sciences, 5(3), 111–133.