EXPLORING WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EXPERIENCES IN HOUSEHOLDS RELYING SOLELY ON MINIMUM WAGE
Annotatsiya
The minimum wage is a payment that paid to a person with the expectation that it will cover their basic needs, such as food, drink, housing, health, culture, and socialization, at a minimum level for a month. In developing countries, the proportion of workers earning the minimum wage has been higher compared to developed countries. More importantly, the disadvantages arising from being on a minimum wage can disproportionately affect women and men. The focus of this study is to investigate this unequal distribution, with a focus on women. To this end, the economic difficulties women experience within the household, in families where the sole earner is on a minimum wage, and thus where the only income is the minimum wage, have been examined. A semi-structured survey was applied to housewives in 100 families with these characteristics, and in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 of them. As a result of the study, in line with our hypothesis, it was found that in families where the sole earner receives the minimum wage, and thus the only income is the minimum wage, women are more negatively affected than men due to the low living standards associated with the minimum wage.