Today, roughly half of the population is female. Despite this mass and much of the world economy driven by women, they have just 10% of the world’s income. The gender gap became clearer especially after World Economic Forum 2010 released its worldwide report results. According to Global Gender Gap Index, Iceland is the country where there is the smallest gender gap and Yemen is the biggest. While US is the 31st, Turkey is the 129th out of 134 country (Switzerland, 2010).
To begin with, gender equality is a really complex phenomenon; therefore what exactly ‘equality’ means needs to be answered .It does not necessarily mean always fifty-fifty, rather it is giving the right to women to do whatever they want:work outside home, study at school or even stay at home. What is indispensable is civil justice that guarantees woman rights. Respected and protected rights, economical and political participation, sanitation, education and being free from violence bring along woman emancipation. Unfortunately, one of the major problems that women get face to face is usually lack of opportunity to fulfill their objectives. Statistics about women participation in business is important; because it gives us whether they are given the same opportunity to participate in as much as men or not. Majority of female population wants to be involved in business arena, if they are endowed. However, according to the some, attempts to achieve equality between men and women often result in tokenism, which means a symbolic gesture.
Does equality means women at work or just fundamental respect for woman in the society? The answer is both of them. It is essential to change the way people behave against women especially in their basic units of society, which is in fact home. By dealing with literacy and neglect, it is achievable to reach respect for women. Educated women have more chance to be a part of the economic life; because, economic sufficiency brings in dignity in the society. Those women who are capable of affording their needs are less inclined to be under pressure on their own situations and political decisions. Therefore, respect for women in the society and economic, political participation go hand-in-hand.
Since women are replete with different talents and capabilities, unemployed women are waste of talents. Whether you see women as potential consumers or potential talent pool, you need to see them as a work pool in the end. They needs to be brought to the market, which is an economic imperative. It is another question that whether women behave in a more responsible or a less risky way. It is a natural faith that women are better to put themselves in their customers’ shoes and their employers’ shoes. Furthermore; greater balance, greater representation of experiences and differences of talents lead to better production in the end, actually it is what we should strive for.
British businesswoman Nichola Pease recently told a UK parliamentary committee that some employers believe hiring women is ‘a nightmare’ because of maternity leave and fears of discrimination action. It is true that maternity leave is a burden for small entrepreneurs, but the cost is relatively less for the big ones. When we think about 30 years of business life and approximately one or two children per woman, two or three months of maternity leave should not be a concern of any employers. It is necessary to consider about woman’s contribution to the business first. And also, in the changing world,paternity leave is also encountered any more .
Melike BAŞTÜRK