A sociological study on the experiences of entrepreneurial women: Kuzguncuk, Atatürk, Tomtom Quarters in Istanbul

Women's entrepreneurship is one of the solutions to support women's participation in working life through productive work and to increase women's employment. This study discusses the experience of entrepreneurship for working women in urban areas in the case of Kuzguncuk (Üsküdar), Atatürk (Ümraniye), and Tomtom (Beyoğlu) neighborhoods in Istanbul. Data was collected using qualitative methodology with a feminist perspective. Twenty-nine women entrepreneurs engaged in commercial activities were interviewed. The main question of the research is how entrepreneurial women's commercial activities relate to the way they use public space in the neighborhood where they work and how they use space in their daily and working lives. The study's findings indicate that women's identities, gender roles, and the lifestyles associated with these roles all influence the economic experiences of women entrepreneurs. Patriarchal relations and gender inequalities negatively affect the working lives of women entrepreneurs in the city. Urban entrepreneurial women can establish their own workplaces without the support of public institutions and organizations. Every economic crisis that occurs in the country has an impact on them financially. On the other hand, they draw strength from their own individual capital during these crisis periods. Urban entrepreneur women play a major role in their business lives and in their relationships with the social environment. Urban Women Entrepreneurship, Public Sphere, Economic Activity, Gender Inequality, Patriarchy.