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Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 81 (2013) 300 – 305
1st World Congress of Administrative & Political Sciences (ADPOL-2012)
Cooperatives in Turkey
Gulen Ozdemir a*
a
Abstract
those cooperatives which mostly tend to do utilize manual labor and are established with a
bottom-to-
handicrafts, agricultural development and consumption cooperatives. Their member numbers range from 7(seven) to 100 (a
hundred), and a considerable amount of them are located in Istanbul, Izmit, and Kocaeli. The most significant aims of these
cooperatives are teaching women how to earn money by participating in production, social aims such as education, fighting
against poverty, creating employment, and revealing local values. -55, 35%
aged 20- 35) are quite dynamic people who have the potential to work, and they are organized around the same targets without
considering educational differences (32,4% university graduates, 24,5% high school graduates, 37,3% primary school graduates).
Most of the partners are married and housewives. Moreover, members
cooperatives than they do in their family lives. These cooperatives have some financial problems at the establishment stage and
later, and they want to be organized at an upper organization level. Limited working areas of associations and financial
difficulties of establishing foundations directed women to establish cooperatives. Furthermore, the facts that cooperatives are
non-governmental organizations which create employment and do not pay taxes, they are seen as a means of local development
and lead women to this type of organizations. Women gain the spirit of unity, solidarity, interdependence and self-confidence in
2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
© 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and peer review under the responsibility of Prof. Dr. Andreea Iluzia Iacob.
Selection and peer review under the responsibility of Prof. Dr. Andreea Iluzia Iacob.
Keywords: Cooperatives, Women, Turkey, Turkey, Organization, Members;
1. Introduction
(There are around 90 000 cooperatives and 9 million members in Turkey, accounting for 10 % of the population.).
Although cooperatives have reached an adequate level in terms of numbers, they have not secured a prominent place
in the national economy yet.
Participat
emerge as an important subject in terms of cooperation and women both taking part in economic life.
* Corresponding author: , Tel.:+90-532-4747262
E-mail address:
[email protected]1877-0428 © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and peer review under the responsibility of Prof. Dr. Andreea Iluzia Iacob.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.432
Gulen Ozdemir / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 81 (2013) 300 – 305 301
According to the census results of the State Institute of Statistics in 2000, while the proportion of literate men is
93,9%, the proportion of women is behind this with 80,6%. There are also
education. (Anonymous 1, 2009; Anonymous 2, 2009; Anonymous 3, 2009).
Another subject that we should take into consideration in terms of education is that the working areas in
professions requiring education for women are very limited. While unemployment rate for men is 20,5% in cities,
this number goes up to 27,4% for women.
In Turkey, 87,4% of women do not take place in employment. In the working sector, 3 women are employed for
100 men.
Especially in the recent years, the organization of women is one of the highlighted subjects in the world. The
increase of poverty in the world day by day, and negative impacts of this over women and children increase the
importance of this subject. In improving employment in the world, independent democratic cooperatives play an
important role by enforcing the marketing power of economically weak groups and enhancing the unity of the
society.
Cooperatives as a model of organization for women have been a very new, exciting, and active subject in Turkey
ally in
in India. In Nigeria, they
in conventional areas such as weaving (FAO, 2003).
2. Method
The survey was carried out by means of counting the whole cooperatives in the recently founded and rapidly
-to-face interviews with
their managers and women members. During the survey with managers, open ended questions about the aim of the
cooperatives and general information about their activities were asked. In the survey with the members, questions
were more involved in determining the profiles of the members.
In the survey step of the research at the end of 2005, the total number of cooperatives was 36, and the survey was
applied to 34 of them. Other 2 cooperatives were not active and could not be reached. The survey was completed by
interviewing three partners and one manager in each cooperative (Aksoy et al, 1996).
As for the results of the survey in this research, possible relations between the inactivity/activity status and
demographic profiles such as profession, age, level of education etc. were tried to be determined by chi-square
analysis (Sincich, 1990); however no relation was found.
Referring to a previously co
perceptions about themselves, their roles in cooperatives and in families as parents and individuals. The fact that
whether women felt themselves more important in cooperatives or as a parent was determined by t-tests. With
similar statistical comparisons, the question of where they felt more important (in the family or in the cooperative)
was researched. Another research question was that if these women found themselves more successful as a parent or
as a member in the cooperative.
3. Research results
3.1. Overall s in Turkey
women. Four of them are home-centered and small arts and crafts cooperatives, 1 of them is related to consumption,
1 of them is on agricultural development and the rest of them are management cooperatives. However, the number
302 Gulen Ozdemir / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 81 (2013) 300 – 305
of these cooperatives today has increased up to 93 (Anonymous 4, 2009) (Anonymous 5, 2009). The number of
members in these cooperatives varies between 7 and 100.
An important amount of these cooperatives are located in Istanbul, Izmit, and Kocaeli. After giving brief
information about the targeted cooperatives, the survey results are presented in more detail below.
3.2. Aims of
Although the aims of the researched cooperatives are basically similar, it is possible to gather them in three types.
The first type is founded by various institutions and primarily directed by those institutions. (One of these
institutions is KEDV - that has gained more importance because
of the efforts they put after the earthquakes in Istanbul and Kocaeli). KEDV, with other cooperatives, supported the
pre-school education and activities of women of low economic status who wish to earn additional income. We can
mention other cooperatives that are founded by municipalities or with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and
attach importance primarily to social
organized to do something locally.
Although the main aim of these cooperatives is inclusion of women to production for economic profit, there are
some cooperatives that attach more importance to social purposes such as education and getting organized. This is a
situation that goes very well with the spirit of cooperatives. Their most obvious aims are struggling against poverty
and creating employment. In addition, there are cooperatives that aim at bringing light to local values, opening day
nurseries and kindergartens, and operating in agro-tourism. To help women to stand on their own feet, to improve
ticipate in local government can
also be counted as other aims of these cooperatives.
3.3. Activities of
workshops operating in such areas as food production, sewing, mat weaving etc. The second group involves
organizing courses on such income generating activities as wood painting, doll making, and making ornamental
objects. The third group of activities include home-made food production and selling, guesthouse operation,
activities as
organizing courses and seminars on birth control, health protection, reading and writing, cooperation, and
entrepreneurship.
have run various projects in the fields of rural handicrafts, carpet making, local dish making, hostel operation, and
nursery operation, seminar organizations for women, luncheon organizations, fair and exhibition participations,
computer design, and life-long learning activities. Furthermore, they have organized such activities as visits to
ervation of the environment, and supporting
traditional Turkish art music.
activities are conducted: opening up of local nurseries for children, improving the work conditions of house-cleaning
women, setting up women associations, providing social activities for girls, creating employment for and nurturing
solidarity among women.
en, local motherhood, saving funds for
women, developing child-mother relations, economic self-
confidence and representation in the society, and establishing study rooms and libraries for 7-15 years old children.
Gulen Ozdemir / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 81 (2013) 300 – 305 303
(Capparis spinosa) production]. Thes The Social Risk Mitigation and the
funds from the General Directorate of Social Assistance and Solidarity.
3.4. Opinions on the
All these cooperatives also have future plans. Managers of these cooperatives point out that the major bottlenecks
are in the areas of marketing, finance, and legislation.
who need cooperatives are usually the poor ones, this becomes a major problem in the beginning. The second
from local municipalities and state organs.
The majority of cooperative members have underlined the critical importance of the support coming from the
bottom of the cooperative and opined that they wanted to diversify their field of activities. The cooperative members
believe that they can overcome their problems with solidarity, unity, respect, and love. In order to overcome
marketing problems, they visit stores and offer samples as promotional efforts. The members also draw attention to
the lack of organization which created a common will for setting up a communication network.
The members believe in the benefits of working together. In obtaining self-financial independence, women
members believe that they should be aware of their personal identities and organized actions. In doing so and by
acting together, they are likely to increase their power. Women members want to have a cooperative union, but the
present shortcoming is their insufficient education. They opine that the existence of volunteer women leaders is
necessary to motivate and support
cooperatives want to be integrated with their environment and direct their works towards the existing demand areas.
However, they need further contribution and more members in th
of members, volunteers, and local people. More women should be invited into the cooperatives, and contacts should
be established within large firms. They also target discovering new product and market opportunities together with a
learning on how to work and act together. They further aim to revive some forgotten cultural values in the society.
3.5. Ma opinions on the differences between their cooperatives and other organizations
have correct information about the cooperative organization, its functions and differences from other organization
types. The managers are aware of the facts that cooperatives are collectively founded by a group of people who
share similar social and economic conditions; that cooperatives are democratic organizations with equal rights in
voting; and that they involve an economic cooperation.
Managers know that cooperatives create employment and are exempt from some taxes. They also know that they
are non-governmental organizations which serve as local development agencies. Other differences of cooperatives
from companies are reported to be their non-
self-confidence and unity is also underlined.
The limited operation areas of associations and heavy establishment costs of foundations are reported to be the
major motives for women in setting up cooperatives. The managers believe that cooperatives are ideal organizations
for solving common problems and meeting needs in a collective manner. In short, they see cooperatives as organs of
economic cooperation.
3.6. opinions on the cooperative principles
According to the survey results, it is observed that managers are generally aware of such principles as free entry,
distribution of returns, democratic control, and cooperative education. However, their knowledge is incomplete.
304 Gulen Ozdemir / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 81 (2013) 300 – 305
They are also quite knowledgeable on basic values of cooperatives such as spirit of solidarity, transparency, and
develops towards the top.
3.7. Reasons for cooperative membership by cooperative managers and members
If the reasons for becoming cooperative members are examined, the most prominent ones are the motivation of
acting together and the will of social and economic sharing. Other important reasons for membership are active
participation in social development, the spirit of solidarity among women, the will of showing their labor, and
obtaining self-economic independence. Furthermore, such reasons as taking reference of previously established
cooperatives, self-development and helping others, and setting up nurseries for their children etc. are listed.
3.8. Profiles of
% of the members were between 36-55 years of age and 35 % were between 20-35. This finding shows us that the
If we look at their educational status, the proportions of university graduates (32,4 %) and high school diploma
owners
highlights the fact that women do not have any difficulty in getting together.
When the profiles of the members are reviewed in terms of their occupations and marital status, it is observed
that the majority of them (%54,9) are housewives. Although some of them are university graduates and have not
previously been employed outside, they are employed by their cooperatives. Other occupational groups are teachers,
retired women, engineers, and workers. The proportion of married members is 74,6 %.
3.9. Family
Ar
between 6-18 (65 %). Of the spouses, 65 % were between 36-55 years of age, 58% with high school education and
above, 38 % with primary school education.
Around 11 % of the spouses were unemployed, 78,4 of the families had children, and 60 % had their own house.
The majority of them (70,6) lived in apartments and in the city centers (88,2%).
4. Conclusions
ey are at their crawling stage but also reflect a rapid
development trend. Earning economic benefits by way of participation in production, getting organized, education,
fighting against poverty, and creating employment are the major objectives of women in these cooperatives. They
largely tend to be engaged in those activities which will utilize their labor.
the members were quite dynamic and able to work (61% between 36-55 years of age; 35 % between 20-35). Along
with this, women were organized around the shared goals within their cooperatives without any difficulty despite the
existing differences in their education levels (32,4 % university graduates, 24,5 % with high-school education; 37,3
with primary school education).
The majority of them were married housewives. With respect to their family profiles, around 11 % of the spouses
were unemployed, 78,4 % of the families had children, and 60 % had a house. They generally lived in apartments
Gulen Ozdemir / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 81 (2013) 300 – 305 305
perceived themselves as more important in their cooperatives than in their families.
Facing several financial difficulties in their establishment and operation stages, these cooperatives strived for
vertical integration in order to operate more efficiently. To overcome financial shortcomings, external support from
the government and the local authority seems to be of critical importance.
Social and economic sharing, its democratic nature, equality among members, the existence of economic
motivations for women to set up cooperatives are the legal limitations on associations in terms of their activity fields
and heavy financial burdens of setting up foundations. The cooperatives also have such advantages as creating
employment, having tax exemptions, being major actors of local development, and having the status of non-
governmental organizations. Within these cooperatives, women have unity, the spirit of solidarity, and self-
confidence.
The critical point which requires specific attention here
bottom-to-top movement. Women have started this movement based on their real needs, and this is a desired
situation particularly favored by cooperative people. If we look at some cooperative examples in Turkey,
particularly in agriculture, they have survived under the guidance of the state organs for several years without the
real commitment of their members.
en cooperatives
which were set up with bottom-to-top movement and survived for many years despite their economic weaknesses
attention to conscious development and collaboration with each other.
Another important point discovered in this research is that women face difficulties in operating their cooperatives
since they are largely unfamiliar with the business life and lack commercial expertise. Nevertheless, they are in a
continuous mode of seeking solutions to get rid of the heavy burden of poverty and economic crises. Therefore,
women should be offered education, credit, consultancy, and marketing support in order to include them into the
national economy.
presently dispersed and unorganized development.
This is among the key principles of cooperation. Otherwise, they will be destined to remain as small and
inefficient organizations. They should utilize their local and traditional products and protect their local
characteristics. They sh
progress.
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