Where?
Kıvılcım Kültür Merkezi, Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey
Organized by
Yusra Community Centre
Event description
This in-person session, aimed to shed light on the unique obstacles faced by refugee women as they strive to integrate into the workforce. Motivated by a desire to amplify voices and experiences, they explored systemic barriers, cultural hurdles, and personal stories of resilience. This session hoped to bring significant value to the Migration Summit by fostering a deeper understanding of the multifaceted challenges displaced women encounter, thereby informing more effective policies and support systems. The format was engaging and included expert presentations, panel discussions with refugee women, and interactive Q&A segments, encouraging active audience participation and collaboration in seeking solutions.
Speakers/Panelists
- Shahla Raza from Yusra Community Center
- Gulrihan Dinc, from the International Migrant Women’s Solidarity Association
- Leyla Jarrar, a Palestinian women’s rights activist
- Sehar, a lawyer and activist from Iran
- Saziye Gulte, a Turkish activist who works for solidarity with refugee women
- Hatice Yildiz of the African Cultural Association
Panel Summary
The panel uncovered social reasons that prove most difficult for refugee and migrant women in Turkey to enter the labor market are mostly gender norms and gendered roles, as household and care responsibilities are culturally assigned to women. A patriarchal social structure puts the reproductive labor responsibility on women, where the unpaid work for the sustenance of the household lies heavily and unfairly on women. Among these responsibilities are childcare, the care of the elderly and infirm family members, which effectively bars them from employment outside. Another factor most noted in the discussion was the patriarchal behavior patterns, implying that the male members of the family (including fathers, husbands, brothers and sons) oppose the idea of women entering the labor market.
Key Challenges that were shared in this session
Legal Restrictions:
- Difficulty obtaining work permits, pushing many women into informal labor.
- Non-citizens are excluded from many professional roles like lawyers and pharmacists.
- Issues with certifying foreign educational qualifications limit job opportunities.
Language Barriers:
- Limited local language skills hinder access to information, services, and better job opportunities.
Cultural and Social Norms:
- Cultural expectations assign household and childcare responsibilities to women, limiting their ability to work outside the home.
- Patriarchal attitudes within families often oppose women entering the labor market.
Discrimination and Poor Working Conditions:
- Refugee women often earn less than men and frequently work in low-paid, low-skilled jobs with poor working conditions.
- They are expected to work long working hours, which takes away from their family responsibilities.
Formal barriers to refugee and migrant women’s access to employment shared by the panelists include levels of education; language abilities; and legal barriers such as a lack of certification, lack of work permit/citizenship, and a lack of knowledge on rights; forcing women to take up informal labor or work in low skilled jobs. Formal barriers most commonly cited in the discussion was the impact of education on employment and procedural challenges in the recognition of degrees. Understood from some of the personal anecdotes was that as many refugees and migrants are forced to leave their countries for various reasons, many have either not been able to attend school in their home countries, have not been able to finish their education or in many cases not able to bring their educational documentation with them while leaving. This lack of education and certification affects employability. Accreditation of education qualification processes in Turkey also poses challenges to accessing employment.



