Caregiver costs exceeded the budget, thousands of women left their working lives

Roughly 25.5 million people in Turkey shoulder care responsibilities for children, the elderly or sick relatives, and care costs that have climbed to three times the minimum wage are forcing millions to devote most of their income to these expenses or exit the workforce, with thousands of women leaving jobs. The mismatch between care costs and wages matters because it depresses household budgets and labor participation, particularly among women. Watch whether care costs continue to outpace wage growth and whether affordability pressures push more workers out of employment.