An analysis of employer women's experiences in Turkey from a gender perspective: The case of KAİSDER and ANGİKAD

This thesis research takes a gender perspective on the experiences of female employers/entrepreneurs in managing their businesses in relation to work, family, social life, and their positions within organizational structures. The first objective of the research is to make visible the gender inequalities faced by female employers/entrepreneurs through their experiences in starting and sustaining their businesses in the context of work, family, and social life. The second objective is to contribute to transformative change regarding gender inequalities based on the narratives of female employers/entrepreneurs. The research is framed conceptually within the fields of women's labor studies, gender approaches to women's labor, female employers/entrepreneurs and gender approaches, and the impact of professional and civil society organizations on female employers/entrepreneurs. The use of feminist methodology is grounded on the assumption that making visible knowledge derived from women's experiences makes a study feminist. The distinctiveness of this research lies in its aim to contribute to social change and equality issues within the context of gender inequalities through the experiences of female employers/entrepreneurs. A qualitative research approach was employed, utilizing in-depth interviews with 15 female employers/entrepreneurs. The research reflects the experiences of employers and entrepreneurs in the business world within the context of their work and social lives based on their own narratives. The data collected from these interviews were analyzed within a qualitative framework. It was observed that female employers/entrepreneurs in the socio-economic upper income group faced problems derived from traditional gender roles at every level due to their biological sex. The acceptance of femininity roles normalized by societal gender expectations, such as motherhood, being a spouse, and household caregiving responsibilities, can also influence women's positions in social, political, and economic spheres. In conclusion, in order to empower women and achieve gender equality, policies, strategies, and initiatives targeting female employers/entrepreneurs should be developed holistically with a gender perspective, taking into consideration the unique positions of women.