Hurriyet - Encouraging Women to Return to Work

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Hurriyet – Encouraging Women to Return to Work

Only 8.1 out of the 29.5 million women of working age currently have a job in Turkey, reports the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet. “Motherhood is the reason why 65 percent of women do not work” says Ayşe Güçlü Onur, partner at Egon Zehnder and founder of YenidenBiz, a non-profit organization that helps women to resume their careers after extended breaks. Her statement is backed up by data from TUİK (Turkish Statistical Agency), which reveals that their responsibility for household chores and childcare prevents over 11 million Turkish women from working. How can companies encourage more women to find a job? Offering part-time employment and financial support for childcare facilities are two ways to boost female workforce participation, reports the newspaper. Giving women support and career advice via targeted initiatives like YenidenBiz is another strategy. “We try to disseminate information about job opportunities with the pool of women who want to return to work […]. We are an NGO that helps women to prepare for their return to work. We educate these women, but we consistently highlight that ownership of their job search process belongs to them, not us,” notes Ayşe Güçlü Onur.

Full story: “Mother-Friendly Companies” (published in Turkish) in Hurriyet (15 May 2017).