Children and Work : How does Motherhood Affect Women’s Labor Market Trajectories in Türkiye - Policy Brief

Overview & Synopsis

Türkiye is an upper middle-income country, with a strong ambition to achieve high income status. Indeed, during the last decade, Türkiye’s economy has been among the fastest growing in the world. However, during the same time the country’s total factor productivity growth, which is imperative to sustain a fast pace of economic growth in the long run, has been declining in industry and agriculture. Increasing women’s engagement in the labor market may be just the tool to achieve higher productivity growth. Despite exhibiting considerable growth over the years, female labor force participation (FLFP) remains low in Türkiye relative to other countries. Notably, many women who do not participate have at least upper secondary education. They may be more productive in the market sector - as doctors, nurses, computer scientists - than in the home sector. In the US, between 20 and 50 percent of growth over the last 50 years was driven by improvements in the allocation of talent across sectors. Women moving from the home sector to the market sectors were an important contributor to this phenomenon. This policy brief attempts to contribute to understanding of barriers that prevent Turkish women from greater engagement in the labor market by quantifying the impact of childcare responsibilities on their market work.