In the Ovacık Cooperative in the municipality of Dersim, women play the biggest role. They produce various foods, including cheese, yoghurt, grape molasses, and jam. Then they package and tag them.

‘It is really nice to work here’

Songül Gök, who has worked in the cooperative for three years doing packaging, says, “Women produce legumes like beans and kidney beans here. The cooperative buys and sells them. There are dairy, packaging, and cargo sections. We also tag the products. It is really nice to work here and we are paid well.”

‘Women should be everywhere’

Gök adds that they are also mentally comfortable. “Working with women is very nice. We decide on what to do on our own, there is no boss that dictates to us. This place feels more like a home than a work place. Women should be everywhere, working, politics, society… in every aspect of life.”

‘Working with women makes me feel good’

Another woman from the Cooperative, Ayfer Yılmaz, has been working in the dairy section of the cooperative for four years:

“We produce animal products like milk, cheese and yoghurt. There are engineers here, and they control the products. After that, we do the packaging and tagging. First of all, working makes you feel stronger, and it is very nice to make my own money.”

Yılmaz is really happy with the working conditions in the cooperative:

“We do not have a boss around to control us. We all are conscious of the importance of the cooperative, and we care for it and take responsibility. We have social security and are paid above the minimum wage. As women, we have not faced any discrimination as of yet. It is a very good feeling to work with other women. It makes you feel more comfortable and secure, and you can share whatever bad experiences you have been through with other women here.”