The panel named “Women Employment and Entrepreneurship” was organised by IU Administration and Research Center for Problems of Women (KSAUM), and was held in IU Institute of Eurasia on 8th March Tuesday. The panel had two sessions and the opening speech was given by IU Rector Prof. Dr. Mahmut Ak and IU KSAUM Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elif Haykır Hobikoğlu.

“The First Administration and Research Center for Problems of Women is Established in IU”

Starting his speech with the fact that the first Administration and Research Center for Problems of Women in Turkish universities is established within Istanbul University in 1989, IU Rector Prof. Dr. Mahmut Ak continued: “This center is not only working on a national scale but also is concerned about equality of the sexes, and humane approaches to women and female children all around the world. The aim of this center, which works in cooperation with our rectorship, is to create new strategies and policies by founding institutive mechanisms. This center also works on recognition of women rights, making women’s conditions better, increasing their welfare level, encouraging women employment and entrepreneurship and helping women who are unattended, wronged and/or harmed. In addition to this, postgraduate programmes, activities and meetings are held by this center.”

“Women Employment is an Acceleration on Becoming a Modern Society”

mphasizing that women employment and entrepreneurship in our country is an important acceleration on becoming a modern society, Prof. Dr. Mahmut Ak ended his speech: “Our university is one of the leading foundations on women employment. There are 2592 women in our academic staff and 3737 women in our personnel, and an increase on this number will be a gain for our university and also for the future of our country.”

“Success is an Outcome We Undertake With Our Family”

TBMM 22-23-24th Circle’s Istanbul Congresswoman Halide Incekara started her speech thanking IU Rector Prof. Dr. Mahmut Ak for his attention to this panel. Incekara said: “My family raised me to be a stateswoman. Success is not something we undertake personally but all together with our families. We have such inspirational women with beautiful success stories in this country. We actualised our ideas and I hope that this will continue to be so.”

“We Need to Consider Women not Problem Oriented but Solution Oriented”

IU KSAUM Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elif Haykır Hobikoğlu stated in her speech that 8th March International Women’s Day is a great oppurtunity to remind the value of women who shape all fields of life, and she continued her speech: “Woman is the base of the society; she is effective, constructive, protective and ever-improving. It is important in every field to take women issues in hand with a solution oriented approach to get positive outcomes. Our greatest aim is to give every women the value they actually deserve and to crown them with success stories rather than violence and unjust treatment.”

In the first panel the issue “Women Employment in Turkey” is held after the opening speeches,. The moderator was the President of Global Leader Woman Platform Ayşegül Tuncer and the speakers were TBMM 22-23-24th Circle’s Istanbul Congresswoman Halide Incekara, Marmara University Academic Member Prof. Dr. Erişah Arıcan and Partner&CEO of Chelsea Tea House in Made Organics Founding Merve Haykır.

And the second panel “Women Entrepreneurship in Turkey” is discussed by IU Director of Career Development Center Prof. Dr. Pınar Ünsal, IU Academic Members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ercan Sarıdoğan, Asst. Prof. Dr. Gamze Sart and Aysun Şahin from IU Technology Transfer Office. Speakers answered the questions after the panel.

Reporter: Canan GÜZEL

Translator: Merve Ceren EROĞLU

IU Directorate of Press and Public Relations