Female Labor Force Participation in Economic Development Process: The Case of Turkey

Abstract: In this study, the Female Labour Force Participation rate in Turkey between 1988 and 2008 is investigated. The main research was carried out by support of basic labour supply theories such as the Becker household model, the Gronau model and the u-shape hypothesis. Turkey is not a fully developed country which is why those theories are of fundamental importance to analyze the determinant factors of the female labour force participation in Turkey. The economic growth, urbanization rate, fertility, and marriage seem to have negative impact on female labour force participation in developing countries. The level of education on the other hand shows a significant positive impact on women’s labour force participation. The female labour force participation rate in Turkey was very high in 1988 which is the starting point of the selected data. It is found that the female labour force participation in Turkey decreases over time though, it shows a significant slowdown. This might indicate that Turkey is on the down-turn of the u-shape and can be believed to turn upwards for the coming decades.