Where Are the Women?

The State Personnel Department released figures last week on women's employment in the bureacracy, and the numbers are dismal. From Today's Zaman:

According to latest figures, sixty-six of each 100 public servants are male. There are 2.330,909 permanent positions within the Turkish public institutions. Only 1.769,730 of these positions are occupied while the remaining 561,179 seats still wait new employees to be hired. The data shows the government should concentrate on hiring female workers in the first place in a move to maintain balance between the two gender groups. All undersecretaries in Turkish ministries are male. Out of 79 deputy undersecretaries, only 2 are female. Out of 96 director generals in Turkish ministries, 91 are male. All of the 175 governors in Turkey are male. Out of 450 deputy governors, 12 are female. Out of 8,284 high level bureaucrats, 7,713 are male while only 571 seats are taken by female public servants.

Out of 989 district governors, 19 are female. The public services in which the female workers outnumbered males were allied health personnel and legal advisers and lawyers. Of the 108,364 allied health personnel 99,564 are female while 1,576 out of 2,639 legal advisers and lawyers are female. Some 46 percent of all teachers, 40 percent of all academics and 31 percent of all doctors in Turkey are female.

The male domination does not change when it comes to State Economic Enterprises (KİTs). There is not a single female regional manager among the existing 22 while only 3 out of 63 vice general managers are females. Out of 172 heads of departments only 7 are female. Out of 800 vice managers in KİTs 186 are female while 5,275 of 16,445 civil servants, secretaries and cashiers in KİTs are female workers.

Today's Zaman attributes the low numbers to restriction on women wearing headscarves at universities, which, while a factor, does not explain anywhere near the whole picture here. For more on the lowly status of women in Turkish government positions, see March 8 post.