A GENERAL OVERVIEW ON WOMEN'S POVERTY IN THE WORLD

Abstract

The inability of workers to receive their rightful share from the capital they contribute to, the lack of fairness in income distribution, and the inability to maintain a high standard of living in retirement despite years of hard work are significant problems for all individuals. This issue not only affects citizens who are unable to attain the prosperity they deserve, but also impacts their family members and the entire community. Workers who cannot achieve the desired level of prosperity in retirement are often willing to work in the informal sector, or in insecure and unregulated jobs. Individuals who are deprived of workplace safety and security, receive low wages, and endure poor working conditions, may be unable to sustain their own lives or support their dependents. In both cases, the common factor is that the health of citizens is put at risk. This can lead to social assistance programs replacing investments aimed at increasing employment, resulting in inefficient use of public resources. This situation presents a significant obstacle to achieving a happy society.

The main objective of this study is to identify the types of economic and social assistance provided by professional mutual aid funds operating throughout Turkey, specifically OYAK, ILKSAN, and POLSAN, to their members and to evaluate their economic impact towards increasing prosperity. To achieve these objectives, a literature review and a relational search method were used, along with activity reports. The research results indicate that while ILKSAN and POLSAN's economic and social assistance provided to their members increased annually in nominal terms, OYAK increased both its total assets and the dividends distributed to its members in nominal and real terms.