16.04.2015
A Work Life and Woman Panel has been organized by Turkish Human Resources Association (TİKAV)
and Mersin International Port Management Inc. (MIP) in Mersin with the support of Mersin
Governor Mr. Ozdemir Cakacak’s spouse Mrs. Kevser Cakacak. Issues in women’s work life, the
employment of women and social judgment against the working women have been brought to the
table.
Issues in Work Life of Women have been
discussed in the Panel
A Work Life and Woman Panel was organised on the 16th April in Mersin Chamber of Commerce meeting room by Turkish
Human Resources Education & Health Association (TIKAV) and Mersin International Port Management Inc. (MIP) in the
scope of 2015 joint social responsibility projects, with the support of Mersin Governor Mr. Ozdemir Cakacak’s spouse Mrs.
Kevser Cakacak.
Ms. Pelin Akın, Akfen Holding & TIKAV Board Member, has moderated the panel
and various occupational groups attended to the panel such as Prof. Dr. Bahar
Taner Mersin University Research Center for Women’s Studies Manager, Evliya
Yüksel Retired Neighborhood Chief, İlkiz Hancıoglu Executive at Private Sector
and Necla Tugral from Agricultural Sector. Issues in work life of women,
employment of women, social judgment against the working women, gender
related discrimination and the balance in working women’s family have been
discussed in the panel.
Mersin Governor Mr. Ozdemir Cakacak’s spouse Mrs. Kevser Cakacak, Sultan Yılmaz TIKAV Chairwoman, Ismail Hakkı Tas
MIP General Manager along with the city & district protocol members and many guests attended to the panel which was
open to the public.
What can be done for women?
In the closing speech of the Honorable Mrs. Kevser Cakacak, she mentioned that the
governorship has their own projects as well, supports the social projects about women,
and she emphasized the importance of cooperation between companies. As Mersin
Governorship, efforts continue to support self-improvement of women and increasing
qualitative & quantitative participation of women to work life. “What can be done for
women” question has been asked and stated that they are open to collaborative work
with the institutions.
We have undersigned great projects in Mersin since the first day
MIP General Manager Ismail Hakkı Tas said that “MIP has been operated since 2007
in Mersin. From the first day we have undersigned various successful social
responsibility projects. We support every social responsibility projects in Mersin but
the ones with TIKAV has an important place. We work in a male dominant sector. The
working female rate is 1-2% worldwide but this rate is 5,5% in MIP. Today, the first
female crane operators have been employed by MIP. Essential requirement is
creating employment for women. We have more white collar female employees but
we will take a step to increase blue collar female employees in the coming days.”
The Panel has been organized with the cooperation of government, private sector and
NGOs
Sultan Yılmaz TIKAV Chairwoman said that “The projects in Mersin have an important role
amongst the national projects that we implement as TIKAV with MIP. We have been
working with MIP for five years on the projects and trying to contribute to Mersin. Work
Life and Woman Panel is also an important event in this aspect. The importance comes
from both the content and the collaborative work of government, private sector and
NGOs”.
I went to high school after 59
Agriculture sector employee Necla Tugral was forced to get
married too young and felt regretful about not being able to study.
She said that “Being in theatre was impressed me. I have worked
for my husband, children and grandchildren, but it was time to do
something for myself. Therefore, I decided to perform and went
beyond myself. I have started high school after 59. Everything is
possible when you work in determination. In conclusion, education
& success age, religion, language are not important factors, if you
wish you can overcome mountains and seas, barriers can be
overpassed any time. As long as the women has a will, they can
create opportunities for themselves”.
Neither my husband nor my children were impacted from my work
Retired Neighborhood Chief Evliya Yüksel stated that neither her husband nor her children were impacted from her work,
“I went to bed late or woke up too early sometimes but I have spared time for my home and my work. I have come across
various cases over the course of my duty. People were approaching me in a different way at the beginning as a female
neighborhood chief but by the time I have communicated well with them and they started calling me Mother
Neighborhood Chief. Even two children were left at my door to take care of. I don’t think people leave children at a
Neighborhood Chief’s door. But this was an indication for myself. I have come to this point by communicating well and I
have not considered this job as earning my life only.”
The difficulties at work did not demoralise me
One of the spokesperson and an executive in private sector İlkiz Hancıoğlu said that “Ambitious women in the work life
are misperceived compare to men. An ambitious man seems normal and a required character, but unfortunately being an
ambitious woman may purports to something else”.
İlkiz Hancıoğlu continued that “The difficulties in work life did not demoralise me, instead transformed me and I became
more ambitious. There is space to women in any area in work life, but regrettably senior positions are reserved for men.
Therefore, women have to be self-devoted that a men cannot do. We were unable to get through social gender roles in
work life. Women also should be able to represent the human in my opinion. To do this, we need to get out of our social
gender roles that was imposed by the community and undermine the thought patterns that we set ourselves.”
There is a kind man behind a successful woman
Research Center Manager Prof. Dr. Bahar Taner has shared the statistics about woman employment rates with the
audiences. She pointed out that in order women to be able to build a career, first of all the parents have to raise
conscious children and it is a great support that a man shares the life at every step after getting married. “ There is a kind
man behind a successful woman”.