A qualitative evaluation on the labor of migrant women working in the greenhouse sector in altinova

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the labor market participation of immigrant women working in the greenhouse sector, who came to the Altınova district of Yalova province with international migration, and their gender roles. Since 2011, mass migrations have occurred from Middle Eastern countries to Turkey, and with these mass migrations, immigrants entering Turkey have been included in Turkey's labor markets. When the literature on immigrant women's labor is examined, it is seen that studies generally focus on the labor of immigrant women in sectors such as domestic services, care services and tourism. It has been observed that there is no study examining the situation of immigrant women in the greenhouse sector. For this reason, this study was conducted to evaluate the labor of immigrant women working in the greenhouse sector in the Altınova district of Yalova province. The study, conducted in 2023, is based on interviews with 10 immigrant women from different ethnic groups. Along with the secondary disadvantage of being an immigrant, the position of immigrant women in the labor markets makes them an even more vulnerable group. This study, which uses qualitative research method, shows that immigrant women struggle with many problems in the labor markets, such as low wages, social exclusion, dequalification, and being forced to continue their current job, as a result of the perception of fragile, easily manageable and cheap labor brought about by gender roles.