Data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) shows that women in Turkey still lag behind men in terms of employment, and there is a strong correlation between education and labor market entry.

According to a TurkStat study released on the eve of International Women’s Day, it has shed light on many aspects of Turkish women’s daily lives. Statistics for 2020 showed that women in Turkey over the age of 15 were employed at 26.3%, while among men the figure was 59.8%.

In the Black Sea region, the provinces of Trabzon, Ordu, Giresun, Rize, Artvin and Gumushane have the highest employment rate for women, while the lowest level was recorded in the region covering the southeastern and eastern provinces of Mardin, Batman, Sirnak and Sirte.

According to statistics, women’s employment increases in proportion to their level of education. Among illiterate women, this figure was only 12.4%, while the vast majority of working women, 65.6%, were university graduates. Secondary school graduates also made up 29.9% of working women.

Speaking at an event hosted by a women’s association in Istanbul on Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that although gender is balanced in several areas, Turkey is still not “at the desired level” in terms of women’s employment and participation in decision-making mechanisms. .