€Œwork Or Notto Work†: Possible Determinants Of Female Non-Participation Decisions In The Urban Labor Force In Turkey

This study attempts to explorethe factors influencing women’s decision not to enter the labour force in urban Turkey. It adopts an approach which emphasises women’s socio-demografic characteristics and their family backrounds. The evidence comes from a Household Budget Survey for the year of 2003 conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institution. Factors underlying female labor force participation are discussed on the basis of two logistic regression models: one for the whole data set, the other for the subset of married women. The findings of the models indicate the importance of marital status, husbands’education, economical status and the number of children as determinants of non-participation. Odds of non-participation decreases for the unmarried status. It is much morelikely for single women to participate in the labour force. University and higher graduates are more willing to participate compared to less educated women. When the income situation of household improves women tend not to participate in the labor force. On the other hand, willingness to non-participate is positively affected by the number of children. The age groups of children do not keep married women from working outside the home. Therefore, it is not the age groups of children, but the number of children which affect the non- participation decision of married women.