Women in Turkey preserve traditional crafts and enter industrial trades

In Turkey, women are sustaining traditional crafts and breaking gender barriers in industrial trades.

Nezaket Kara Duman, a resident of Gökçeler Village in Düzköy, has practiced traditional weaving for 45 years. Using a loom inherited from her mother, she produces handmade textiles that she sells at markets in Düzköy and Akçaabat. Her work is entirely manual, involving weaving in her village and sewing at home.

In Ankara’s Çubuk district, 18-year-old Fatma Sena Karaveli has been working as a welder for six years. Having started at age 12 to assist her father at his industrial workshop, she has continued to develop her skills despite facing social prejudices regarding women in the industrial sector. Karaveli emphasizes that professions should not be limited by gender.