CARE at WORK TURKIYE: BUILDING RESILIENT AND CARE-SUPPORTIVE WORKPLACES THROUGH EQUALITY AND CARE

Women’s participation in Türkiye’s labour market remains significantly constrained by unequal unpaid care responsibilities, limited access to affordable care services, and the insufficient adoption of care-supportive workplace policies. While women represent 31.3% of total employment—one of the lowest rates among OECD countries—around 10 million women remain outside the labour market primarily due to unpaid care duties. Current workplace practices—including limited flexible work options, low uptake of care leave, and the absence of structured employer-supported care arrangements—further reinforce gender gaps in employment, wages, and career progression. To address these structural barriers, the International Labour Organization (ILO) proposes the development and pilot implementation of a Care-Supportive Workplace Model in selected enterprises in Türkiye. The model aims to provide a practical, evidence-based framework that employers can adopt to strengthen work–life balance, promote equal opportunities for women and men, and improve productivity and retention. It draws on the ILO 5R Framework (Recognize, Reduce, Redistribute unpaid care; Reward and Represent care workers), national policy context, and emerging enterprise needs identified through stakeholder consultations. The 18-month project seeks to achieve one outcome: Public institutions, social partners, private enterprises, and international finance promote and integrate care-supportive workplace policies that enhance resilience, gender equality, and inclusion for all workers, including persons with disabilities and workers with dependants with disabilities, across workplaces in Türkiye. To achieve this, the project will: · Develop the Care-Supportive Workplace Model, including tools, guidelines, assessment checklists, and awareness materials, developed through participatory consultations with enterprises, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and relevant public institutions. · Pilot the model in selected enterprises, establishing Equality Development Task Forces responsible for implementation, employee engagement, and monitoring. · Strengthen the capacities of employers and workers through tailored training on care-supportive policies, flexible work, care leave arrangements, equal opportunities, and prevention of discrimination. · Generate evidence through baseline and endline assessments, documenting changes in employee satisfaction, work–life balance, and enterprise-level practices. · Disseminate lessons learned to promote replication, including public events, knowledge products, and dialogue with sectoral employer and worker organizations.

Project symbol

TUR/25/03/SWE

Admin unit

ILO-Ankara
PARDEV

Start date

01/01/2026

End date

30/06/2027

Total allocation

376323

Total expenditure

Status

Active

65891

Development Partners

Sweden, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency

Country/Countries

Türkiye

Outcomes

Outcome 5: Gender equality and equality of treatment and opportunities for all