Unemployment among women graduates is marked in the region that includes Çorum. Read how the waiting period affects mental health and ways of coping.
Four years of midterms, finals, internships and a final-year project; then the graduation ceremony, throwing caps in the air, family photos... And then a long silence. Checking job sites every morning, waiting to hear back from applications, looking for a different answer each time a relative asks, "Still nothing?" Unemployment among women graduates is strikingly high in the Central Black Sea region, which includes Çorum. According to Mek's (2023) study based on data from TÜİK (the Turkish Statistical Institute), in 2021 roughly one in five women with a university degree in the TR83 region (Samsun, Tokat, Çorum, Amasya) was unemployed; among men with the same level of education, the figure was around one in fourteen. In this article I focus on the possible factors behind this gap and, above all, on the psychological process experienced by young women left in the "waiting room" with their diplomas.
Unemployment Among Women Graduates: What Do the Regional Data Say?
Unemployment data broken down by sex and education level are not published at provincial level for Çorum. The closest indicator is therefore the TR83 region, of which Çorum is a part.
The gap between educated women and men. According to Mek's (2023) study, in 2021 the unemployment rate among women with a higher education degree in TR83 was 19.9 per cent, compared with 7.3 per cent for men. In other words, in the region a woman with a university degree is about 2.7 times as likely to be unemployed as a man with the same education. Across Turkey, the unemployment rate among women with a higher education degree is 16.8 per cent; the regional rate is above this.
Young women are more affected. According to the same study, the unemployment rate among women aged 15–24 in TR83 is 24 per cent, compared with 12.4 per cent among men of the same age. In Turkey, unemployment among women aged 15–24 is 28.7 per cent.
The overall picture looks different, however. Across all education levels, female unemployment in the region is 9.4 per cent, below Turkey's 14.7 per cent. According to sources reporting TÜİK's Women in Statistics 2022 bulletin, the female employment rate in TR83 is 33.8 per cent, the third highest of 26 regions. However, this high rate is carried to a significant extent by unpaid family work in agriculture; 54 per cent of employed women have less than a high school education and 11 per cent cannot read or write.
Education increases participation. According to TÜİK's Women in Statistics 2024 bulletin, the labour force participation rate of women with a higher education degree in Turkey is 68.9 per cent; among women with less than a high school education it is 26.8 per cent. In other words, women graduates want to work and are looking for jobs; the problem is not unwillingness but the gap between desire and opportunity.
There is a gap in entrepreneurship too. According to a master's thesis at Hitit University (Özdilli, 2024), in 2022 women made up about 12 per cent of partners and about 15 per cent of authorised officers in the records of the Çorum Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
In short, the picture says this: in the region, women work in the fields and at home; but there is a serious threshold in front of women who have been educated and want to enter skilled work.
What should you keep in mind when reading these data?
- The data on female unemployment by education level relate not to Çorum but to the TR83 region, which covers four provinces. Çorum's own value may differ.
- The data are from 2021. As economic conditions change, the rates change too.
- The unemployment rate only covers people who are looking for work. Women who have lost hope of finding a job and stopped searching are not included; the real picture may therefore be wider.
- Figures show a trend; they do not tell individual women's stories, choices and circumstances.
Why Doesn't a Degree Turn into a Job? Possible Structural Factors
It is not possible to attribute this gap to a single cause. Still, regional data point to several possible factors.
The structure of job opportunities. A significant share of employment in the region is in agriculture and manufacturing. Positions suitable for women graduates in these sectors may be limited. The service sector and white-collar jobs are more varied in big cities.
Limits on mobility. Men can more easily consider moving to another city for work. For young women, family expectations, marriage plans or safety concerns can make moving to another city harder. This narrows the area in which they can look for work.
Caring responsibilities. According to TÜİK's 2023 data, the employment rate of women aged 25–49 with a child under three in Turkey is 27.1 per cent; for men it is 90.1 per cent. With marriage and children, the care burden largely falls on women, and entry into the labour market can be postponed.
Gender expectations. In one provincial-level study, Çorum ranks 47th out of 81 provinces on a gender inequality index (according to a study cited in OKA's Regional Plan, 2022). Women's work being seen as "extra income", or some professions being defined as "not suitable for women", can narrow the options.
Social networks. In small cities, networks of acquaintances and references play an important role in getting a job. Özdilli's (2024) thesis also found that social capital in the form of "groups and networks" increases the likelihood of women in Çorum becoming entrepreneurs. Women with limited access to these networks may be at a disadvantage.
None of these factors is decisive on its own, and each carries a different weight in every woman's story. There are positive developments too. Programmes run by OKA (the Central Black Sea Development Agency) to support women's employment, and initiatives such as welding training carried out with Çorum's organised industrial zone, are opening doors for women into fields that were previously considered "men's work".
How Is Unemployment Among Women Graduates Experienced Psychologically?
Unemployment is not only an economic situation; it deeply affects how a person sees herself, her future and the people around her. For women graduates, this experience has layers of its own.
The feeling of "was all that effort for nothing?"
For someone who has studied for years and struggled with exams, fees and dormitory life, the uncertainty that follows graduation can create a sense that her effort has gone unrewarded. Over time this feeling can turn into disappointment and anger.
Learned helplessness
Every negative reply, or application that never gets a reply, can strengthen the belief that "whatever I do, the result won't change". Known in psychology as learned helplessness, this state can lead a person to stop searching and to stop noticing opportunities.
A shaken identity and self-confidence
During university, the identity of "student" gives daily life structure and meaning. With graduation this identity ends, but the identity of "employee" does not take its place. The person caught in between may struggle to define herself: "What am I now?"
Pressure from family and community
In small cities everyone knows everyone. Even well-meant questions from neighbours and relatives can deepen feelings of shame and inadequacy. For some young women, the period of unemployment is also intertwined with growing pressure to marry: "If you can't find a job, at least get married."
Financial dependence
Still receiving pocket money from the family as an adult who has completed her education damages a sense of autonomy. The tension between the wish to make her own decisions and build her own life and financial dependence can increase anxiety.
Putting life on hold
As the waiting period drags on, many young women also postpone other areas of their lives until "after I find a job": moving into their own place, taking up a hobby, going on holiday, even meeting friends. The thought "first a job, then life" is understandable; but this postponement also dries up sources of enjoyment and meaning. The waiting room then begins to shrink not only in terms of work but in terms of life as a whole. Yet a meaningful life can be built while looking for work too, and this also feeds the energy that the job search needs.
The comparison trap
Posts on social media from friends who have found jobs, moved abroad or built careers in big cities can strengthen the feeling that "everyone is moving forward and I'm standing still". I also discussed the emotional effects of not finding a job after graduation in my article on graduating and not finding a job.
When these feelings last a long time, they can lead to depressive symptoms, sleep problems and social withdrawal. If you are curious about the psychological effects of unemployment in general, you can take a look at my article on the psychology of unemployment.
Practical Suggestions for Leaving the Waiting Room
Let's say a twenty-four-year-old woman who graduated from Hitit University and lives with her family in Osmancık has been looking for a job in her field for a year and a half. Her days have started to look alike, she has cut down on seeing friends and she cannot sleep at night. In a situation like this, the following steps may help:
- Give your day a structure. Looking for work can be treated like a job: applications at certain hours, skill-building at certain hours, rest at certain hours. Structure reduces the disorder that uncertainty creates.
- Set small, controllable goals. "Finding a job" is not fully within your control; but "making five applications this week" or "enrolling in a certificate programme" is.
- Keep your skills alive. Online courses, volunteering, internships or part-time jobs both strengthen your CV and help you feel useful.
- Widen your network. Structures such as alumni associations, professional chambers, development agency programmes and women's cooperatives can provide both job connections and social support.
- Have an answer ready for people around you. A short, clear sentence such as "I'm applying in these areas and attending this course" reduces the burden of going on the defensive with every question.
- Talk about expectations with your family. An open conversation about financial contributions, household responsibilities and timelines prevents silent tension.
- Limit comparison. Reducing the time you spend on social media and comparing your progress with your own past helps you be fairer to yourself.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
It is natural to feel low, anxious and angry during a job search. However, in the following situations support from a mental health professional may help:
- If feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness have lasted for weeks and are getting heavier
- If you have stopped looking for work completely because you think "it won't happen anyway"
- If your sleep and appetite have changed noticeably
- If you have withdrawn from friends and social life
- If tension with your family has become constant
- If you experience intense anxiety and panic symptoms before job interviews
- If thoughts that life is meaningless have become more frequent
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life, this is an emergency; call 112 (emergency services) without delay or go to the nearest emergency department.
How Are the Job Search and Feelings of Worthlessness Addressed in Therapy?
Therapy cannot remove unemployment; but it can help you get through this period with less strain and be more effective in your job search.
Within cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), automatic thoughts such as "I'm not good enough", "nobody will ever hire me" or "I've let my family down" are identified and their realism is assessed together. Through behavioural activation, activities that bring meaning and a sense of mastery are added to daily life. For those who experience interview anxiety, anxiety management and rehearsal work can also be part of this process.
From a schema therapy perspective, in people with strong "failure" or "defectiveness" schemas every negative reply can trigger a deep belief from childhood that "I'm not enough". Recognising these schemas helps people live through unemployment without turning it into a judgement on their personal worth.
When working with some clients, skills for setting boundaries with the family and standing up for one's own life plan also come up. Individual therapy offers a safe space during this period for a person to separate her own worth from her employment status. I also work in Çorum with face-to-face and online sessions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the unemployment rate among women graduates in Çorum?
These data are not published at provincial level. In the TR83 region, which includes Çorum, Mek's (2023) study based on TÜİK data found that in 2021 the unemployment rate among women with a higher education degree was 19.9 per cent, compared with 7.3 per cent for men.
Does being unable to find a job for a long time lead to depression?
Long-term unemployment is a risk factor for depression, but not everyone becomes depressed. Social support, daily structure and small steps that keep hope alive can be protective. If symptoms last for weeks, getting an assessment from a professional is helpful.
My family keeps asking about work and it really stresses me; what can I do?
It may help to remember that your family's questions usually come from worry and care. Giving them short updates regularly, saying clearly what kind of support you need and calmly sharing which questions hurt you can reduce the tension.
Should I take a job outside my field because I can't find one in it?
This is a personal decision and there is no single right answer. A job outside your field can provide financial independence, social contact and daily structure, and it need not stop you from continuing to search in your own field. Weighing up your values, financial needs and long-term goals together helps when making the decision.
Bu yazı genel bilgilendirme amaçlıdır; tanı veya tedavi yerine geçmez. Yaşadığınız güçlükler için bir ruh sağlığı uzmanına başvurmanız önerilir. Acil bir durumda lütfen 112'yi arayın.
Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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