Turkey's Minister Göktaş sets 40.1% women employment target at Global Women Summit

At the Global Women Summit held in Istanbul from June 4‑6, Turkey's Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş stressed that women's empowerment is a strategic pillar of economic development. She announced a new policy goal to raise the female labour‑force participation rate to 40.1 percent by 2028, up from 27.9 percent in 2002 and 35.2 percent in early 2026.

Göktaş outlined a multi‑dimensional action plan that includes support for women entrepreneurs, investment in digital‑skill training, expanded childcare infrastructure, and public‑private partnerships. The strategy is formalised in a 2024‑2028 "Women’s Empowerment Strategy" and coordinated through national and local bodies established since 2025. She linked the initiative to broader transformations such as digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and the green transition, arguing that excluding women would diminish a society’s innovation capacity and social welfare.