Özet:
This thesis aims to understand multi-dimensional poverty of local and foreign female
domestic workers. Based on semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted in
İstanbul, it aims to discover multiple but interrelated causes of their poverty through
a gender-sensitive approach. To this end, domestic workers’ narratives are analysed
under three main parts along with the sub-headings: The first part focuses on the
impoverishing effects of the patriarchy and the material deprivation on domestic
workers’ life choices - education and marriage. In this way, the study aims to
understand how material poverty, lack of education and conventional values weaken
women and affect their participation into the labour force market. The second part
dwells on domestic workers’ experiences while performing their job and the related
problems in detail. In this part, especially the effects of domestic service as an
informal employment field is analysed to understand how it impoverishes their lives.
The third part concentrates on the influences of the job on women’s individual and
family life and their future prospects. While giving considerations to whether the job
enhances their lives on an individual basis, the study also questions if female
domestic workers have a control over their income. Through these analyses, this
thesis studies women domestic workers’ poverty multi-dimensionally and does not
trap the poverty discussion only into monetary issues, and thus making it possible to
understand and explore other impoverishing and weakening factors which comprise
an important part of women’s poverty.
