Female participation in the formal labor market has been decreasing in Turkey since the 1990s because of economic stagnation. In 1990, labor force participation in the rural areas was 52 percent for women and 83 percent for men. In 2004, these figures were 30.9 percent and 71.2 percent. In the urban centers, women have only marginal opportunities to participate in the labor market and active economic life, especially in the formal, organized sector jobs (industry and services) (Ecevit 1990). Th…