‘Slack in workforce can be reduced if women participate more’

The International Symposium on Financing for Development organized with the cooperation of the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) kicked off in Turkey’s Istanbul on Thursday.

The two-day symposium is being held under the theme of "Thinking Innovative Solutions to Persist Development Challenges."

The event is providing an important platform for discussing the problems and alternative solutions related to financing for development in OIC countries.

General Manager and CEO of Albaraka Türk Participation Bank Melikşah Utku spoke to Yenişafak.com in an exclusive interview and evaluated the symposium, global developments and the situation of women in the workforce.

“Women have traditionally been left out of the workforce compared to men. There is a slack in the workforce which can be reduced if women participate a lot more. It is important with regards to services sectors like technology, he said.

“A major reason why women are left outside the workforce or participate less is due to birth, child-bearing and child-raising. I think men should be participating in those jobs also. Plus, in some of those jobs, even if you’re on maternity leave you can still do work and participate in the workforce by using digital technologies, by connecting, remote working and working at home. I think going forwards, there will be a lot of transformation in that aspect. It is a social duty of Islamic finance to also produce financing for such transformation projects,” Melikşah added.