GENDER EQUALITY AND HAPPINESS: SELECTED TURKIC STATES

Öz

This study examines the impact of gender equality on national happiness in Turkic States-Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan-and Hungary for the period 2007–2023 using panel data econometrics. In the investigation, gender equality is operationalized across three macro-level dimensions representing women's access to agency, opportunity, and power structures: education, labor force participation, and political representation, respectively. Data were compiled from the World Happiness Report, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the World Bank. To address model assumption violations, Beck-Katz Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE) and Parks–Kmenta Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) estimators were employed, while two-way fixed-effects models were utilized to control for period-specific shocks such as global economic crises. The empirical results reveal that the overall gender equality index, as well as gender equality in labor force participation and political representation, lose their statistical significance once temporal shocks are controlled for-indicating that these domains are largely driven by the prevailing global economic environment. Conversely, gender equality in education emerges as the most consistent, robust, and enduring structural determinant that enhances happiness, even after isolating macroeconomic and time-specific shocks. Accordingly, to foster a sustainable improvement in societal well-being across the Turkic States, this study recommends prioritizing structural reforms that guarantee equal access to secondary and higher education and institutionalize a sustainable work–life balance, rather than relying on short-term or cyclical policy measures.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Gender Equality in Education
• Labor Force Participation
• and Political Representation
• Happiness
• Panel Data Analysis

TOPLUMSAL CİNSİYET EŞİTLİĞİ VE MUTLULUK: SEÇİLMİŞ TÜRK DEVLETLERİ

Öz

Bu çalışma, 2007-2023 dönemi için Türk Devletleri (Türkiye, Azerbaycan, Kazakistan, Kırgızistan, Tacikistan, Özbekistan) ve Macaristan'da toplumsal cinsiyet eşitliğinin mutluluk düzeyi üzerindeki etkisini ekonometrik panel veri yöntemleriyle incelemektedir. Araştırmada toplumsal cinsiyet eşitliği; kadınların eylem, fırsat ve güç yapılarına erişimini temsilen eğitim, iş gücüne katılım ve siyasal temsil olmak üzere üç makro boyutta ele alınmıştır. Veriler Dünya Mutluluk Raporu, BM Kalkınma Programı (UNDP) ve Dünya Bankası kaynaklarından derlenmiş; modellerdeki varsayım ihlalleri Beck-Katz (PCSE) ile Parks-Kmenta (FGLS) tahmincileriyle giderilmiştir. Küresel ekonomik krizler gibi dönemsel şokların kontrolü için de iki yönlü sabit etkiler modelleri kullanılmıştır. Analiz sonuçları; zaman şokları kontrol edildiğinde iş gücüne katılım, siyasal temsil ve genel cinsiyet eşitliği göstergelerinin anlamlılığını yitirdiğini bu alanların daha çok küresel konjonktürden etkilendiğiniortaya koymuştur. Buna karşın, eğitimde cinsiyet eşitliği, makroekonomik ve dönemsel şoklar arındırıldıktan sonra dahi mutluluğu artıran en tutarlı, kalıcı ve en dirençli yapısal boyut olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Bu doğrultuda çalışma; Türk Devletlerinde toplumsal mutluluğun sürdürülebilir biçimde artırılabilmesi için kısa vadeli ve konjonktürel adımlar yerine, kadınların ortaöğretim ve yükseköğretime eşit erişimini güvenceye alan ve iş-yaşam dengesini kurumsallaştıran yapısal reformlara öncelik verilmesini önermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Eğitimde
• İşgücünde ve Siyasal Temsilde Cinsiyet Eşitliği
• Mutluluk
• Panel Veri Analizi

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