The Key to Women’s Employment: Education

Hakan ErcanMiddle East Technical University

TOBB PresentationDecember 2012

Salient facts for Turkey

• Labor force participation rate in Turkey is around 50%.

• Women’s LFPR was 28% in September 2012, highest ever.

• Why?• Lack of education! • Not only women’s education, men’s

education!• Outside of large metropolitan areas, non-

economic dynamics are at work.

December 2012 2

Labour Force Participation Rates

Provincial Labor Force Statistics, 2009 (TÜİK)

4

İl bazında işgücü göstergeleri, 2009

İl kodu İl adı

IKO(%)

IO(%)

ISO(%)

53 Rize 65.8 4.6 62.88 Artvin 64.0 5.6 60.4

29 Gümüşhane 62.4 4.4 59.675 Ardahan 60.6 4.2 58.069 Bayburt 59.2 4.5 56.520 Denizli 55.5 13.2 48.117 Çanakkale 50.1 7.3 46.518 Çankırı 50.3 9.5 45.522 Edirne 52.2 13.4 45.214 Bolu 50.2 11.5 44.581 Düzce 51.2 14.6 43.850 Nevşehir 48.5 9.9 43.768 Aksaray 45.8 13.1 39.86 Ankara 44.9 13.6 38.81 Adana 49.0 26.5 36.0

58 Sivas 39.0 13.2 33.930 Hakkari 38.2 19.7 30.747 Mardin 32.3 12.8 28.272 Batman 32.5 13.5 28.121 Diyarbakır 32.7 20.6 26.056 Siirt 30.4 14.8 25.973 Şırnak 30.7 17.0 25.5

December 2012

Rural-urban migration is still going on:

December 2012 5

Net Migrants from Rural to Urban by Age Group: 1990 to 2000 (in thousands)

Total = 4.45 million (excludes 0-9 year-olds)

10-14; 681 ; 15%

15-19; 851 ; 19%

20-24; 892 ; 20%

25-29; 699 ; 16%

30-34; 360 ; 8%

35-39; 306 ; 7%

40-44; 209 ; 5%

45-49; 131 ; 3%

50+; 321; 7%

Most migrants are young. Almost all had five years of schooling, until recently.

International cross-country data: • Women’s (25-44 year-olds) LFPR against

GDP per capita in PPP:

December 2012 6

Turkey projections• We are 15 points below than what we

must be, given our per capita income.

December 2012 7

Francisco H. G. Ferreira, The World BankConversations in Istanbul and Ankara, June 2008

December 2012 8

Not only consumption, but life itself:

December 2012 9

Even if we accept inequalities attributable to personal responsibility Even if we accept inequalities attributable to personal responsibility as fair, there remain huge inequalities due to morally-irrelevant as fair, there remain huge inequalities due to morally-irrelevant circumstances beyond the control of individuals. circumstances beyond the control of individuals.

... And work (factors for first job transition, 25-29 year-olds)

10 babailk 1.252019 .0041 68.63 0.000 1.244009 1.260081 anneilk .7694314 .003622 -55.68 0.000 .7623651 .7765632 kent .943005 .002423 -22.84 0.000 .9382678 .947766 evli 1.039469 .002685 14.99 0.000 1.03422 1.044745 kurs 1.016089 .0103472 1.57 0.117 .9960095 1.036573 mesleklise .6931845 .0034146 -74.39 0.000 .6865241 .6999095 lise .3876368 .0017827 -206.07 0.000 .3841585 .3911466 ortaokul .3317522 .0015531 -235.68 0.000 .3287221 .3348103 ilkokul .2337012 .0009514 -357.11 0.000 .231844 .2355733 female .1159063 .0002926 -853.52 0.000 .1153342 .1164813 isbuldu Odds Ratio Std. Err. z P>|z| [95% Conf. Interval]

Log likelihood = -2544822.2 Pseudo R2 = 0.1985 Prob > chi2 = 0.0000 LR chi2(10) = 1260723.81Logistic regression Number of obs = 5368758

-> s6 = 25-29

December 2012

Flexicurity? • Not so sure anymore (after Spain during

the recent crisis). Not with occupational segregation, low wages, and informal employment.

• Daycare? Safe public transportation?

• Yes, but ... In Istanbul and Ankara and a few other cities.

• Gaziantep? Konya? Mardin?

December 2012 11

LFPR by education levels (%)

December 2012 12

Education Male Female

Less than hi school

72 25

High school 74 31

College 85 68

Monthly earnings by year, sex, and sector (non-agriculture)

0

100

200

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800

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

TL

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mo

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MaleF

FemaleF

MaleINF

FemaleINF

December 2012 13

Women’s Earnings Profiles: Age and Education

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0.0

200.0

400.0

600.0

800.0

1000.0

1200.0No

dip

lom

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Women's wages by age and education

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

45-49

55-59

December 2012

Thank you.