Female employment a must for economic success: DEİK

ISTANBUL

Boosting female employment across diverse industries and sectors is a linchpin for economic prosperity, said an official from the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK).

“We cannot keep half of our population at home. Without integrating women into different sectors, success is unattainable,” DEİK Women’s Platform President Ebru Özdemir said during a panel held to mark the March 8 International Women’s Day.

“When more women ascend to leadership positions, we can cultivate stronger business relationships and achieve greater success,” she underscored.

Özdemir further noted that even within DEİK’s own structure, women account for a mere 10 percent of the board of directors, prompting the institution to take decisive steps toward rectifying this imbalance.

“We celebrate women who have broken barriers, but we also recognize the ongoing challenges. Our goal is to build a future where gender equality is not just an aspiration but a reality,” she said.

Echoing this sentiment, DEİK President Nail Olpak emphasized that women will play an increasingly pivotal role in shaping the economy of the future.

“In Spain, the traditional belief that fathers should be the primary financial providers has significantly changed. However, when I began my diplomatic career in the late 1980s, this was one of the biggest challenges I faced,” she said.

According to data published by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) on March 6, the employment rate of women was less than half that of men in Türkiye.

Additionally, gender-based pay disparities persisted across all levels of education, with men consistently earning higher wages.

Meanwhile, a report released by U.N. Women on March 6 revealed that women’s rights regressed in a quarter of countries worldwide over the past year.