ANKARA - State Minister Guldal Aksit said on Sunday that their aim was to reduce unemployment and create new fields of employment by increasing investments in Turkey.
A statement of State Ministry said that Aksit addressed her colleagues in 2003 Global Woman's Summit Woman Ministers Round Table Meeting in Marrakech, Morocco.
Aksit said in the meeting that it was their main target to increase participation of women in working life and strengthen them.
Difference between men and women started to increase more by globalization process, Aksit noted.
Aksit stated that being deprived of strength of bargaining due to economic conditions and inequality between genders forced women to accept job with low income and bad working conditions.
Women-men equality was formed by foundation of Republic in Turkey, Aksit said.
Aksit noted that women started to take place in public area as equal individuals and take part in development process together with men on the basis of reforms made after the Republic was founded in 1923.
Turkey became a side to the United Nations (U.N.) Convention on Prevention of Every Kind of Discrimination of Women in 1985 and the convention entered into force in 1986, Aksit stated.
Aksit said that Directorate General for Women's Status and Problems was formed in 1990 as a national mechanism responsible for providing women-men equality as a result of not only international liabilities but also national needs.
Turkey almost ensured women-men equality in regard with legal regulations with significant arrangements made in recent years, Aksit pointed out.
Aksit said that joint projects of non-governmental organizations and public institutions particularly National Education Ministry were targeted to be continued and increased in order to raise education level of women in Turkey.
Very serious work had been carried out and significant steps had been taken in Turkey in recent years to improve women's rights and raise economic and social living standards of women, Aksit emphasized.
Aksit said that they aimed to increase participation of women in political life more in the following elections.
A total of 24 of 550 parliamentarians elected in the last general election on November 3, 2002 were women, Aksit noted.
Aksit stated that they aimed to realize potential of women in order to ensure participation of more women candidates in the local elections in 2004, adding that some non-governmental organizations were organizing education programs aiming at women candidates to that end.
Economic needs were effective in decisions of women entrepreneurs, Aksit said.
Aksit noted that the motivation to have her own workplace and the desire not to work in return for salary or fee were important factors activating women entrepreneurs.
Projects covering education programs, legal counseling, technical consultancy and marketing would be increased to help women entrepreneurs and to help them learn about market conditions and ways to get loans, Aksit added.
(BRC-AY) 29.06.2003