Women’s entrepreneurship is a rapidly developing field in Türkiye in recent years. It is estimated that there will be more than 3 million women entrepreneurs in Türkiye in 2024. This figure indicates a 10% increase compared to 2023. Some trends awaiting women entrepreneurship in Türkiye in 2024 are increasing numbers of women entrepreneurs, changes in the sectoral distribution, and expansion of financing opportunities.
The trend of increasing numbers in 2024 is expected to continue, and the number of women entrepreneurs will reach 4.2 million by 2025. It is seen that women entrepreneurs mainly operate in the service sector. However, the numbers of industries such as technology, production and health are expected to increase in 2025. Finally, various financing programs are being implemented by the public and private sectors to support them. These programs are expected to expand further in 2025 and provide more financing opportunities to women entrepreneurs. But what awaits them in 2025’s Türkiye?
To answer this question, it is necessary to review the current situation first. There have been some obstacles for women entrepreneurs in Türkiye. The most common obstacles have been a lack of finance and education for women and gender inequality. It is more difficult for women entrepreneurs to access finance than men. They tend to receive less training than men in starting and developing businesses and do not have the same opportunities as men in the business world.
Despite the hardships women face, there are also opportunities for them. In 2025, the most important of these will be the state incentives for women entrepreneurs offered by the ministries. Recently, the National Women Exporter Network Platform was established within the Ministry of Commerce. It is a free organization that brings together companies and people with high export experience, with the motto “W2W,” that is, “Woman to Woman,” to help female entrepreneurs who have just started exporting or have never exported and show them how to start exporting. This platform will bring active and productive women to our country in foreign trade, thanks to the environment of solidarity and cooperation between women. In addition, experienced women entrepreneurs who have been exporting for a long time can transfer their knowledge about export processes and their experiences regarding these processes to women entrepreneurs who have just started exporting.
W2W-National Women Exporter Network Platform is a young but promising free platform that contributes to women entrepreneurs’ orientation toward export, aims to bring our women into business life and make them more active with the export training and programs it organizes, as well as the mentor support it provides.
On the one hand, digitalization offers new opportunities for women entrepreneurs. Digital platforms enable them to deliver their products and services to a wider audience. Likewise, sustainability creates a new market area for them. Women entrepreneurs can tap into this market by developing sustainability-focused products and services. Globalization offers women entrepreneurs the opportunity to expand into international markets by selling their products and services abroad.
On the other hand, women managers can play an important role in developing fellow women’s entrepreneurship by paying attention to a few points. They can facilitate the establishment and development of businesses by providing financial support to women entrepreneurs. They can improve the knowledge and skills of women entrepreneurs by providing them with training support on establishing and developing a business. They can also ensure that women entrepreneurs have more opportunities in the business world by promoting gender equality in workplaces.
There are many successful examples of women’s entrepreneurship in Türkiye. We can see these, especially on digital platforms. These examples show that female entrepreneurship is developing day by day in Türkiye. In 2025, women entrepreneurs will be even more successful by taking advantage of opportunities such as incentives, digitalization, sustainability and globalization. Women managers can contribute to Türkiye’s economic and social development by supporting these developments in women’s entrepreneurship.