An Inquiry into the Determinants of Female Labor Force Participation, Employment and Employment in “Good Jobs” for Turkey

The Turkish female labor force participation rate is very low, even when comparing Turkey to peer countries. Despite the extensive literature on the determinants of the female labor force participation rate in Turkey, some determinants are under debate. Perhaps more striking, the literature focusses on increasing the participation rate without accounting for the work status women end up in. Many Turkish women are employed as unpaid family worker, which does not lead to the same empowering effect as paid employment. This article investigates the determinants of female labor force participation, employment and employment in ‘good jobs'. It uses a probit model for the determinants of labor force participation and employment. Furthermore, a multivariate logit model is employed for the determinants of different work statuses including a ‘good job'-status. We fınd that education, traditional gender roles and wealth are key determinants of working in ‘good jobs' for women in Turkey.