A research on the effects of Turkey's Grameen Microfinance Program on women's poverty and entrepreneurship in Antalya

The main objectives of this thesis are to describe the reasons for women?s poverty, the methods to challenge it and to outline the programs for women?s enterpreneurship including social enterpreneurship and micro credit programs. The thesis also analyzes how micro credit programs help allevate women?s poverty. This thesis presents a summary of the literature review of women?s enterpreneurship in Turkey and in the world, and programs and institutions which work to overcome women?s poverty. Furthermore, a field research is conducted with the women who benefit from the Turkey Grameen Microfinance Program (TGMP) in Antalya. The aim of this field research is to research the effects of TGMP micro credits on women?s enterpreneurship and poverty. The scope of the research is limited to women who use TGMP?s micro credit in Antalya. In depth interviews are conducted with 67 out of 414 women who use micro credit in TGMP?s Antalya chapter. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used in the analysis of the research. The limitation of this research is that this TGMP chapter in Antalya is relatively new (it is founded a year ago) and so the effects of the project on poverty and enterpreneurship of women is short-termed. These women - who migrated to Antalya for economic reasons - either live under the povery line or under extreme poverty, live in rental homes, can barely afford basic food and nutritions and use micro credit to finance their business. These businesses include knitting, making accessories etc., and selling products such as cosmetics, scarfs and lingerie. Some women make lacework, embroideries, pico, and knitted textiles at home by order. Limited by the sample of this research, it can be stated that micro credit use is not enough to allevate poverty but it helps women with entrepreneurship skills and has positive effects on their lives.