Gold-Collar Jobs for Women in Turkey

Abstract

This study contributes to the lierature on gold-collar knowledge-work by reflecting on its gender aspect. It focuses on work experiences of women who graduated from elite Turkish universities and were educated as highly skilled employees. This study also discusses ways in which women doing gold-collar knowledge work are treated differently and types of harriers they face because of their gender. Moreover, it explains of what, in their case, the glass ceiling is composed. The study reflects on whether these women's families practice a gendered division of labor and to what extent the women's domestic responsibilities impact their careers. Depending on in-depth interviews, it argues that male-dominated organizational cultures, combined with unequal division of responsibilities especially related to child-care, negatively affect these women's careers and force them to shift from gold-collar to routine white-collar work.