The role, importance, challenges, and solutions for women in the tourism sector were discussed at a conference titled "Women and Tourism" held at Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University (ALKÜ). The conference, organized in collaboration between the Alanya Tourism Operators Association (ALTİD) and the ALKÜ Faculty of Tourism, featured speakers SKAL International 2009 World President Hülya Aslantaş and former ALTİD president and member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Hoteliers Federation (TÜROFED), Gülçin Güner.
"WOMEN AND MEN ARE ALMOST EQUAL"
Güler began her speech by stating that according to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), 49.8% of Turkey's population is female, which corresponds to 40,275,000 people. She emphasized that this proportional balance shifts in favor of women in the 65 and older age group due to women's longer life expectancy, noting that 56% of the population in this age group is female.
"WOMEN HAVE A HIGHER LIFE EXPECTANCY"
Güler stated that the average life expectancy for women in Turkey is higher than for men, and provided the figures: "The average life expectancy for men in Turkey is 75.3, while for women it is 80.7. When we look at data on education and the workforce, we see a significant decrease in the proportion of women."
"THE NUMBER OF WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE IS LOW"
The statistics for 2016 show that the percentage of men over 25 who are illiterate is 1.6%, while the percentage for women is 8.5%. In terms of high school or university graduation rates, the rate for men is 18.8%, while for women it is 14.2%. When looking at employment figures for those aged 15 and over, the employment rate for the male population is 65%, while the employment rate for women is 28%.
"THE NUMBER OF WOMEN MANAGERS HAS INCREASED"
According to the results of the household labor force survey, the percentage of women in senior and middle management positions in companies increased from 14.4% in 2012 to 16.7% in 2016.
"THE PROVINCE WITH THE HIGHEST AVERAGE AGE FOR MARRIAGE IS TUNCELİ"
According to marriage statistics, the average age for women entering their first marriage in 2017 was 24.6, while for men it was 27.7. The province with the highest average age for first marriages was Tunceli, with 30.6 for men and 28.2 for women. The province with the lowest average age for first marriages was Niğde and Şanlıurfa, with 25.8 for men, and Ağrı, with 21.6 for women.
"WOMEN SHOULD HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THEMSELVES"
"The tourism sector is an industry open to the world and cultural interaction, focused on people, aiming for satisfaction, embracing tolerance, and emphasizing communication and empathy. Therefore, it is an industry where gender, religion, language, and racial discrimination can be most easily eliminated. Women should have more confidence in themselves and should participate more in this sector, moving away from traditional judgments. The tourism sector is a feminine sector," she said.
"I HAVE GAINED RESPECT AS A TURKISH WOMAN IN THE WORLD"
Aslantaş, who is the 2009 World President of the international tourism organization SKAL, began her speech by emphasizing that Turkish women have historically held important rights and achieved significant successes. She stated that women should be more active in both the business world and civil society organizations. Aslantaş explained that she chose a major goal, such as the SKAL World Presidency, to make our country known, and that she achieved this after years of hard work, gaining respect as a Turkish woman in the world tourism sector, and that she was proud of this. "When Turkish women work together, it is inevitable that they will achieve even greater goals," she said.