The role of active membership of women's cooperatives in the empowerment of women: The case of Istanbul women's cooperatives

Cooperatives, with a long history, are seen as a model of social development, serving with a sense of solidarity and contributing to the economy. The co-operative's structure and state support for women's cooperatives, together with increased interest in women' s cooperatives. This research, which is starting here, aims to assess what women experience in the social, economic and political spheres after participating in the cooperation and whether it helps to solve the problems women face in these areas. The study looked at the experiences of women who were active members of women's cooperatives operating in Istanbul. Fourteen women from 33 to 66 years of age participated in the study, using the technique of in-depth interviewing with the semi-structured interview guide form. The data from the interviews were obtained by applying category and code content analysis. The study found that women could meet their needs and spend freely with the income they earned. They are socialized by being able to develop themselves and participate in different activities through co-operative training. They found themselves more valuable and respected by their participation in cooperative decisions, their ability to be managerial, and their solidarity. In this regard, the impact of cooperation in the economic, social and political spheres has been questioned and meaningful relations have been identified.