Empower women

One of the objectives of this research study was to understand the impact of women’s co-operatives in Turkey on women’s empowerment. This was understood as how women’s co-operatives support and enhance personal capacities, feelings of honor and self-confidence and capacity for overcoming challenges; on women’s solidarity; and on the evolution of women’s gender roles. What is understood using the qualitative nature of the micronarratives and interviews is that women at the core of women’s co-operatives (board members and founders) as well as those with less of a commitment than the core (members, beneficiaries) are equally, if not differently, affected by the impact of their women co-operative.

From the micronarratives, as illustrated in Figure 40, 252 members and beneficiaries, or 94 per cent, expressed that in their experience and according to their understanding women’s co-operatives clearly empower women in Turkey.

Figure 40 PARTICIPANTS’ SELF-ANALYSIS ABOUT WHETHER WOMEN’S CO-OPERATIVES EMPOWER WOMEN (N= 268)

Figure 40: Participants’ self-analysis about whether women’s co-operatives empower

w o m e n ( N = 2 6 8 )

The micronarrative stories and interviews also demonstrated that one of the main impacts of women’s co-operatives is empowerment of women through economic independence. Forty-one (41) stories were about gaining pride through belonging to co-operative, an economic enterprise. First, here is one of the stories from an active women’s co-operative member to illustrate this:

“I met the co-operative two years ago. It was a time that my life became very difficult because of economic problems and I shared my worries with my colleagues and I was able to handle them with their support. Last year in a festival we opened a stand and sold bakery products handmade jams and pancakes and we earned a very good amount of money. I was very proud of that and I am able to cover the expenses of my children on my own. Moreover I can see the pride on my children’s eyes and I am very pleased to honor them.”

And the following is a quote from the interviews from a women’s co-operative founder, who relates the importance of relieving women of the burden of complete economic dependence:

“Women who are not economically independent are not strong enough socially. It costs her to even going out, economical independence makes her life easier in many ways and it changes the way her family sees her.”

Through her experiences with the women’s co-operative – working, earning her own money, gaining skills, being outside of the home and networking – a woman gains resources and autonomy. Through her involvement with the women’s co-operative she is a part of the community in a different way than as a mother or wife – as an income earner, as a business person.

Interviewees identified a number factors related to their involvement with women’s co-operatives including increased self-confidence and improved self-esteem, improved home life, engaging in wider issues, and becoming more viable in the community. From an analysis of the micronarrative stories, 74 stories relate to the theme of gaining self-confidence. The following are two stories that speak to gaining self-confidence and the importance of this for women:

“At the beginning I was considering co-operative work just to cook and serve however when I started I figured out that it wasn’t just like that. I am a very energetic person and I participated in many other works and activities of co-operative. In a year I met many different people participated in many activities. I am very pleased to produce things and also to generate income from them. People are showing their pleasure to us when they eat the food we prepared and this pleases us and increases our self-confidence. I am very thankful that I became a member of the co-operative. Even we have to sacrifice from many things as time etc. we are doing our job willingly.”

“Before co-operative I was only a housewife and I was spending my entire time for housework. When I met the co-operative I started to participate in the co-operative’s activities, travels, working times and my life became more colorful. My days and my thoughts had enlightened. I gained self-confidence and by standing on my feet; I contributed my family and my relatives and my friends. I am supportive of all women women’s co-operatives and I believe that woman women’s co-operatives also touch women’s heart while supporting them economically. Today I feel myself much stronger and decisive.”

As a founder of a women’s co-operative states about the members:

“Their self-esteem started to increase, and as their self-esteem increased, other women started to come and participate. We were expecting this to happen and this was the reason we started a co-op.”

Further to this, one of the stakeholders interviewed affirms:

“Women start to communicate with companies and start taking part in both social and economic life. They get out of their homes and gain self-confidence and feel valuable. I think that this model is suitable for Turkey. ”

The boost in self-confidence and self-esteem as well as what she learns from the women’s co-operativescan be transferred to other parts of a woman’s life, including a better understanding of their rights. As one member states:

“As they learnt their rights, they started to request their rights at home.”

Another space she begins to occupy through the co-operative is the community. As one founder declares:

“The co-op model gives women the opportunity to join social life and the community.

The women can get out of home. This also has a positive effect. ”

According to the director of one women’s operative, through women’s co-operatives, women begin to gain access to spaces they previously did not have access to:

“We think that our co-op plays a great role in the empowerment of women. It is well known and supported by local and international levels. The success of women has been a great example and that gives us much ambition, motivates us. That made our works visible and we gained recognition.”

Women start to question and work with local government and institutions to provide better services in the community. They also offer better services to the community, such as childcare centres and training.

Members’ and beneficiaries’ responses about their various forms of participation in women’s co-operatives are extremely positive, as can be seen in Figure 41. This is the case for active women’s co-operatives and for the final year of activity when the now inactive women’s co-operatives were active. While co-operatives are supposed to be participatory by nature, as noted in Chapter 2 and according to international co-operative principles, women’s co-co-operatives in Turkey demonstrate remarkably high responses for the participation of members and beneficiaries based on participant responses to the micronarratives. To have 99 per cent answer affirmatively about no discrimination and opportunities to gain knowledge and skills is exceptional. For 97 per cent to respond “yes” or “sometimes” to the statement “I can become a board member without obstacles” is not common in other organizational structures in the private sector (i.e. firms). “Solidarity in membership” (96 per cent) and “I participate in decision-making” (93 per cent) also show the high level of commitment to the women’s co-operatives. And finally, members and beneficiaries of active women’s co-operatives are seen to be positive (90 per cent) when it comes to accessibility.

Figure 41 MEMBERS AND BENEFICIARY’S PARTICIPATION IN WOMEN’S CO-OPERATIVES (N=268)

Any woman can join – no discrimination 99% 92%

Co-op provides opportunities to gain knowledge and skills 99% 83%

If I want/feel capable, I can become a Board member without

obstacles 98% 89%

Solidarity in membership 96% 83%

I participate in decision-making 95% 84%

Women can easily access co-op when they have problems 91% 84%

The interviews and micronarratives also demonstrate that women not only use the skills that they gain in the co-operative, such as governance, management, technical, and business skills, but there is a transfer of those skills to their other work in the community, be that when working with the local government or private businesses or agencies. Transferring these skills to other contexts is especially vital for a more complete understanding of empowerment that goes beyond a woman’s co-operativeinto all other aspects of her life. Women’s co-operatives therefore can be understood to have a multiplier effect on women that engage with them as

members or beneficiaries; of being able to offer social services through organizing and operating the co-operative, and also able to access other services because women have the skills and knowledge and self-confidence to do so. This also speaks to education and learning as an impact.