Factors determining female labor force participation in Turkey

The main objective of this thesis is to identify the factors determining the labor force participation of women who are capable of working in Turkey, based on the 2019 data from the Turkish Statistical Institute, using econometric analyses, and to propose policy recommendations to increase female labor force participation and employment in Turkey. Logistic and probit regression analyses have revealed factors that positively and negatively influence the probability of women participating in the labor force. The estimation results indicate that factors such as education and household size have a positive impact on women's labor force participation, while factors such as the number of small children the woman is responsible for caring for and being married have a negative impact. As a key policy recommendation to increase women's labor force participation, the study suggests the encouragement of women to receive education and the removal of barriers to their access to education. Additionally, measures such as the widespread provision of daycare and other childcare services at appropriate wages, along with the implementation of education to reduce cultural biases regarding roles assigned to women in society, such as household chores, child, and elderly care, could also contribute to increasing female labor force participation in Turkey.