Care Equality Corporate Network to Be Established Under the Leadership of Özyeğin University in Collaboration with TÜSİAD

Özyeğin University, one of Türkiye’s high-impact research universities, is launching Care Equality Corporate Network in collaboration with TÜSİAD to make the impact of care work and mental burden on working life more visible and to provide companies with practical solution tools. The Network will support companies in developing policies tailored to their own needs that promote the equitable sharing of care responsibilities. In addition to enabling anonymous data collection, measurement and impact analysis through digital tools, the Network will allow companies to assess their status through a national dataset to be developed in this field. It also aims to create a shared platform for learning and exchanging experience among companies through training and awareness initiatives. Fiba Group is the main supporter of Care Equality Corporate Network.

Actions That Will Create Strategic Value Have Been Identified

Established to encourage companies to engage in this process, Care Equality Corporate Network encompasses a range of awareness-raising and data-driven initiatives on the equitable sharing of care responsibilities and mental burden. In this context, alongside summits and events to be organized, tools will be developed to measure the impact of policies supporting equal sharing of care responsibilities on corporate performance. The dissemination of solution tools developed in this field across the business world and the advancement of scientific research activities on the subject will also be supported. Securing a lasting place for the issue on the business agenda is among the Network’s objectives.

“Care Equality Directly Affects Women’s Equal Participation in Working Life”

Emphasizing that care responsibility, one of the major barriers to women’s participation in working life, is an issue of economic infrastructure, Ozan Diren, Chair of the Board of TÜSİAD, stated:

“Ensuring women have equal rights and opportunities in every sphere, particularly in the economy and decision-making mechanisms, is both a matter of human rights and a fundamental element of economic and social development. Yet the unequal distribution of care responsibilities significantly affects women’s participation in economic life. In Türkiye, while only 27.1 percent of women aged between 25 and 49 with children under the age of three remain employed, this figure stands at 90.6 percent for men. This picture shows that care is not merely an individual or family issue, but an economic infrastructure issue extending from labor markets to social security systems. To achieve equality in working life, responsibilities must be shared equally alongside rights and opportunities. Care equality directly affects women’s equal participation in working life. In this context, adopting an ‘equal parenting’ approach and implementing corporate mechanisms that reduce employees’ care burden are of critical importance. From this perspective, we attach great value to the expansion of Care Equality Corporate Network, launched under the leadership of Özyeğin University, across the business world and to our collaboration in this field. We believe this structure, which brings together academic and private sector perspectives, will increase institutional awareness and support concrete corporate transformation within companies through data-driven policies.”

“Unequal Burden Is a Development Issue”

Highlighting the Network’s scientifically grounded and practice-oriented structure, Prof. Dr. Barış Tan, Rector of Özyeğin University, made the following assessment:

“Our nationwide research conducted in 2025 shows that inequality leads to tangible losses in women’s career journeys. Thirty-one percent of women leave their jobs at some point in their lives, while 14.5 percent of married women with children turn down promotion offers. Therefore, the unequal sharing of responsibilities stands out not only as an individual or social issue, but also as a development issue. The ownership of this effort by an institution such as TÜSİAD, which brings together the business world within a broad framework, is a highly significant step in firmly placing this issue on the private sector agenda. To create lasting transformation, institutions must first be able to assess the current situation and then implement concrete policies and practices. Through Care Equality Corporate Network, we aim to provide the business world with a strong foundation to realize this transformation through data-driven and sustainable steps.”

Corporate Awareness Expectations Come to the Fore

The Research Report on the Impact of Care Work and Mental Burden on White-Collar Employees, published by Özyeğin University in 2025, presents important data regarding employees’ expectations from institutions. According to the research, 85.26 percent of participants state that workplace policies focused on care work and mental burden positively contribute to their job preferences and motivation. In addition, 77 percent of women expect their institutions to raise awareness on this issue.

Support for Data-Driven Corporate Transformation

Care Equality Corporate Network aims to provide multidimensional support to the private sector through a data-driven corporate transformation approach. In this context, companies will receive consultancy support to develop policies and practices that promote equal sharing of care responsibilities across a broad spectrum, from childcare, elderly care and disability care to daily household responsibilities. Through the Care Work and Mental Burden Analysis Tool (CML Kit), companies will be offered opportunities for anonymous data collection, impact analysis and benchmarking against a national dataset. The Network will also provide access to resources and AI-supported tools, as well as training programs designed for target audiences. In addition to sharing good practices and strengthening public awareness and impact-oriented efforts, the Network will focus on the periodic updating of the national dataset and the continued generation of knowledge through thematic research.