Women's poverty in the context of the capability approach: a study on Turkish women living in Berlin

What the paper says

Purpose The aim of this study is to put forth a detailed picture of the poverty and freedom statuses of Turkish women living in Berlin within the context of Amartya Sen's capability approach. In this study, which acknowledges that characteristics such as gender, gender roles and place of residence may affect the relation between an individual's capacity and their poverty status, it is tried to determine the poverty and freedom conditions of Turkish women who immigrated to Germany alone or with their families due to certain reasons. Design/methodology/approach In this study, in which a qualitative research design was used, a semi-structured interview form was prepared. The data obtained from these forms were evaluated by using the descriptive analysis method and linking them with the literature. Findings The most general conclusion to be drawn from the findings of this study is that Turkish women living in Berlin benefit from the aforementioned instrumental freedoms and opportunities to a great extent and that they do not encounter major obstacles or hindrances in accessing instrumental freedoms and opportunities at the macro level. Originality/value In this study, women's poverty is addressed not only by analyses conducted solely on income and expenditure in a uni-dimensional manner but also by a framework of analyses that includes the deprivation of instrumental freedoms such as economic and social opportunities and political freedoms. In addition, by addressing the issue of women's poverty with a specific focus on Turkish women living in Berlin, this study offers a novel and valuable contribution to the relevant academic literature.