Understanding the Integration of Istanbul's Peripheral Neighborhoods Into the World Market: A Disclosure of Women's Labor in "Secure" Places

Abstract

This article examines the role of culture in structuring women's engagement with "secure" workplaces in Turkey. While some studies have focused on the way in which demand-led industrialization has created flexibility for women in the clothing industry in Turkey, this analysis highlights the way in which flexibility is mediated through "traditional" forms of gender relations. These gender relations construct notions of secure work spaces for women based upon the opportunities they provide to "police" women's behavior as well as the possibilities specific work sites give for obtaining financial security. This article argues that in-depth ethnographic work on specific work sites (in this case workshops "hidden" in residential zones) can provide a deep understanding of the gender dynamics in the informal sector.