Bridging the gender gap in Turkey : a milestone towards faster socio-economic development and poverty reduction

As a Country Gender Assessment (CGA) for Turkey, the present study attempts to analyze gender issues in Turkey through a comprehensive review of conditions and gender disparities in the most relevant sectors. It also seeks to identify areas of potential intervention where World Bank programs and other programs and actions by government and civil society can help impact to enhance sustainable development and poverty reduction efforts in the country. To this end, in the present study those areas that have been identified as key sectors in which gender differences and disparities are particularly relevant for development and poverty reduction in Turkey are reviewed in individual chapters. In these chapters, the most important disparities and differences between women and men in terms of access to resources and opportunities, as well as the socioeconomic and cultural background factors that are salient in explaining the origins and/or persistence of such inequalities, are identified and discussed. Also included in each chapter is a set of recommendations for concrete policies and measures that emerge from the foregoing analysis and that are deemed appropriate to combat existing gender disparities in the area.