ILKE Foundation’s latest report titled The
Society’s View: Turkish Society by Statistical Data and the website sosyalveri.net
both part of The Society’s View project were launched and presented before
the audience in an event that was held at Mercure Hotel Altunizade on March
29, 2022.
The report offers an overview of the
contemporary situation of the Turkish society in several areas from education
to law, and from culture to economy. The report also makes mention of the major
social issues Turkey has faced in the recent decade precisely, 2010-2020.
The project team included Prof. Dr. Lutfi
Sunar and a team of researchers from ILKE foundation’s Research Center for
Social Thought and Policy (TODAM) including Melike Tozlu, Büşra Özen, Meryem
Beyza Gümüşsoy and Muhammet Gazali Kılınç. This team of researchers jointly
created a source platform which consists of 12 main categories and encompasses more
than 75 topics regarding social issues. In addition to the published report,
the socialveri.net website, which contains indicators and analyzes on various
issues in Turkey, has been opened for the public and policy makers. On
sosyalveri.net which serves as a basic source platform for those interested,
one can find indicators and analyzes on a number of social issues pertaining to
Turkish society.
Turkey's Social Data Platform is Open Now!
The Social Data Platform, available on
sosyalveri.net, includes up-to-date graphics, data and analyzes on various
social issues mainly pertaining to years 2010-2020. Datasets compiled from
national and international statistical sources on several social issues such as
economy and finance, business life, welfare and inequalities, cultural life,
health services, education services are available on the platform. Thus, users
will be able to get a bird's-eye view of Turkish society through reviews in
which various issues are analyzed based on more than 250 graphics.
Tendencies of Precarization and
Proletarianization are showing a Rising Trend
According to the report, the rate of
self-employed people in Turkey has decreased over the years. Along with certain
changes in the economic sphere, it is seen that there has been a transformation
in the types of earnings. As the data in
the report indicates; the rate of waged, salaried or casual employees has a
rising trend in Turkey. Reviews in the
report mainly draw attention to the fluctuations in the share of occupational
groups in employment and basic changes in the working patterns both of which lead
to the increase in proletarianization in Turkey.
Income Inequality Seems to Increase
Many economic indicators from gender-based
wage inequalities to household debts are examined under a number of headings in
the report. According to the data in hand, the gender pay gap has increased
over time in Turkey. Additionally, findings in the report draw attention to the
fact that in 2020, the richest 1% of people in Turkey held 42.8% of the total
wealth. Therefore, income inequality as a major social problem seems to have
deepened over the years. Since the average monthly expenditure of households
living on a single minimum wage exceeds the household income, an increase in
household debt rates has been observed in recent years.
GDP per capita & Household Purchasing
Power Decreased
According to the report; since 2016, due to
the economic contraction, GDP per capita in Turkey has been below the world
average. As stated in the reviews in the report, despite the fact that average
disposable income of households has increased, rising inflation and exchange
rates have caused the annual incomes to depreciate. Consequently, purchasing
power of households seems to have decreased due to the higher inflation rates
in Turkey.
Transformation in Demographic Structure
The report provides detailed information on
the demographic profile of Turkish society. In the light of the basic findings,
it is claimed that the family and population structure in Turkey is in the process
of a critical transformation. Accordingly, elderly dependent ratio is
increasing, the birth rate and fertility rate are decreasing, and the aging
trend of the population is becoming widespread in Turkey. Reviews specifically
emphasize that young population’s share has shown a decreasing trend in the
last 10 years. Also, it is stated that both the number of young people
receiving education and the youth unemployment rate have increased. Finally, by
evaluating the changing demographic characteristics together with the
transformations in other areas, it is asserted that changes in the household
structure continue as the household size is under an decreasing trend.
The project's website is accessible at www.sosyalveri.net