Work And Family Life Reconciliation Policies: Quest For New Policies in Turkey

The work/family life reconciliation policies aim to increase female employment rate, improve social welfare, reduce child poverty and balance work/family life responsibilities. These policies, which have been put into practice successively in most of the European countries during the 1990s, lately sat on the agenda of the policymakers in Turkey. Recent researches show that the reconciliation policies have positive results such as increasing the female activity rate and balancing work and non-work life. However they also have adverse effects like deepening the unequal distribution of unpaid work between men and women and hindering women’s access to full time jobs. This study gives detailed explanation of the reconciliation policies, examines the potential benefits and risks and discusses the possible consequences for Turkey.