Turkish Municipalities Expand Street Cleaning, Employing Women Workers

The Efeler Municipality in Turkey’s Aydın Province has intensified its cleaning operations, deploying its Cleaning Works Department across the district. Teams work from early morning until night, sweeping streets, sidewalks and thoroughfares in the Orta, Ata and Mimar Sinan neighbourhoods. Residents praised the effort and thanked the cleaning crews and mayor Anıl Yetişkin for the visibly cleaner environment.

In the city of Gaziantep, the metropolitan municipality hired roughly 40 women as cleaning staff to maintain streets, parks and public spaces. The women work while singing folk songs, challenging the traditional view that street cleaning is a men‑only job. Mayor Fatma Şahin supported the initiative, noting that the presence of women has improved the city’s appearance and reduced gender bias in municipal work. Both projects aim to create healthier, more comfortable urban settings for citizens.