Social exclusion in working life based on ethnic identity: A research on İzmit gypsies

The phrase of "half" in the idiom of "seventy-two and a half nations" is attributed to the Gypsies. The mention of Gypsies as half emphasizes that they are not regarded as an actual folk or community. Gypsies differ from other nations by their identities, cultures, traditional professions and marginalized lifestyles. A negative perception of Gypsies in general dominates in the society. The fact that Gypsies are not recognized as an actual folk or community indicates that there are practices of social exclusion towards them. The working life ranks in the first amongst the fields in which Gypsies, one of the disadvantaged groups being exposed to discrimination in daily life in our country, experience social exclusion. In this study, it is aimed to demonstrate the degree of social exclusion practice experienced by Gypsies in working life depending on ethnic identity. Semi-formal interview, a qualitative research method was conducted with Gypsies of İzmit who work in the qualified and unqualified jobs, and are unemployed being willing to participate in labor force. In this regard, purposive sampling method was utilized. Subsequently, the field research data were linked to conceptual framework, and accordingly the themes were formed and findings were expounded. The data acquired were evaluated by content analysis. The result of the study reveals that the social exclusion practices experienced by Gypsies of İzmit in working life generally appear depending upon a variety of factors such as lack of education, spatial stigmatization, crime, apparels, language and accents.