Since 2012, Borusan has focused on gender equality as a priority social responsibility area. The Holding is committed to developing policies to support its female employees and eliminating gender discrimination in its internal corporate policies. Borusan provides infrastructure and financial support to increase women’s participation in professional life in society at large.

As a signatory to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), Borusan was invited to become a member of the UN WEPs Leadership Group in 2015 – the first Turkish company to receive this honor.

Thanks to its efforts to empower women, Borusan has become a leader of this important cause both in Turkey and worldwide.

My Mom’s Job is My Future

One of Borusan Holding’s most important social responsibility initiatives is “My Mom’s Job Is My Future.” Research shows that provision of affordable childcare is critical to boosting women’s employment in Turkey and worldwide. This long-running project aims to expand women’s employment by providing support for working mothers. “My Mom’s Job Is My Future” is conducted with the support of Turkey’s Ministry of Family and Social Policies, and the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology. Nurseries and daycare centers, known as “Borusan Joy Factories,” with a 75-child capacity at each facility, are built at 4 organized industry zones (OIZ) across 4 provinces in Turkey to provide childcare and pre-school education to children aged 0-6. To date, Borusan Joy Factories have opened in Adıyaman, Afyonkarahisar, Malatya and Balıkesir under this effort. “My Mom’s Job Is My Future” was granted a social responsibility award at the Golden Compass Public Relations Awards in 2015, hosted by the Turkish Public Relations Association. The project was also recognized with an award from the Turkish Confederation of Employer Associations.

Microfinance

The late Asım Kocabıyık, Founder and Honorary Chairperson of Borusan Holding, personally established the first microfinance branch in 2009 in Afyonkarahisar, his place of birth, to support women entrepreneurs. In 2013, the second location, Gemlik Borusan Microfinance Branch, opened in Gemlik, Bursa, where Borusan Holding has a large industrial campus.

To date, these two microfinance branch locations have jointly extended loans totaling TL 5.5 million to 2,800 women entrepreneurs to help them establish or expand their businesses.

Equal Borusan Platform

Borusan established its Equal Borusan – Social Equality platform in November 2015, to adopt and embrace gender equality at both the corporate and individual levels. The platform aims to obtain results across a wide range of issues – from human resources policies to communication and awareness.

Love Begins with Language

The Equal Borusan platform published its “Guidebook to Avoid Statements and Behavior Suggesting Gender Discrimination in the Workplace” in cooperation with the Gender and Women’s Studies Research Center of Kadir Has University. The guidebook contains examples of discriminatory statements and conduct that are common in everyday business life. Along with gender-discriminative phrases such as “like a man,” “you’re the man,” “female manager,” “woman’s job” and “man’s job,” ageist language such as “dinosaur” and “born yesterday,” along with their neutral, non-discriminatory synonyms, were outlined. The initiative also included specially designed posters placed prominently in offices and other Borusan working environments. In addition, a video titled “Love Begins with Language,” featuring Borusan employees, was shot for Valentine’s Day and published on the Borusan corporate website on February 14, 2017 to draw attention to the issue of gender discrimination in the workplace.

Call-Out Sexism

Borusan launched the “Call Out Sexism” campaign launched in 2018. With a video released on March 8, International Women’s Day, hashtags such as “Love Begins with Language” and “Call Out Sexism” were used to raise awareness of sexist language and the widespread culture of sexism in society. The campaign highlighted many of the sexist archetypes and behaviors displayed in both personal and professional arenas. “Call Out Sexism” also drew attention to common chauvinistic expressions such as “This is not a woman’s job,” “Are you a feminist?” and “You should smile more.”

Gender Equality Seminars

At Borusan, we aim to raise awareness of more than 10,000 Borusan staff and their families through gender equality trainings organized in cooperation with the Mother Child Education Foundation (AÇEV) to prevent gender inequalities.

No Job too Tough for Women

In 2018, Borçelik, a Borusan Group company, implemented the “No Job Too Tough for Women” initiative to underscore that women can perform any job in male-dominated heavy industry. The effort’s first target was to expand women’s employment in the flat steel industry. Under the project, female applicants were provided with technical trainings such as overhead crane certification as well as 250-hour comprehensive specialized trainings, including personal development and mentor-mentee sessions. At the program’s conclusion, 26 women who had successfully completed their training were employed in various jobs traditionally held by men.

Women’s Employment Initiative at Borusan Mannesmann

In order to show that women can work and be successful in the metal sector and increase the women employment rate, high school graduate female candidates were given on-the-job training programs organized in cooperation with İşkur, while the social areas within the Borusan Mannesmann factories were made suitable for women. The initiative aims to increase the ratio of female employees to 10%. In line with this target, the female employee ratio increased from 3% in 2017 to 6% in 2018.