Evaluation of Women's Cooperatives in Samsun Province with SWOT and SOR Analysis

Women, who have been involved in the social and economic structure throughout history, have not been represented at the same rate in the economic and social spheres, although they constitute approximately half of the population. Although it varies according to the development levels of countries, women generally have lower labour force participation and employment rates than men. Women's participation in the labour force and employment are crucial for sustainable economic growth and balanced social development. Women's co-operatives are seen as an important policy instrument for increasing women's participation in economic and social life, creating employment, combating poverty and addressing gender inequality. In this study, it is aimed to evaluate women's co- operatives in Samsun province with SWOT and SOR analyses. The main material of the study consists of primary data obtained from 15 women's co-operative managers operating in Samsun province through face-to-face interviews, questionnaires, and observations during co-operative visits. In the study, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of women's co-operatives were assessed using SWOT analysis, and the strategy recommendations for the development of co-operatives were assessed using SOR analysis. According to the results of the SWOT analysis, high trust in women's co- operatives and women's willingness to act together were identified as the most important strengths, while insufficient financing and insufficient co-operative awareness were identified as the most important weaknesses. In addition, the most important opportunities were identified as the fact that the labeling of women's co-operatives on the products increased demand and that there was a high level of trust in co-operative products in the society, while the continuous increase in raw material costs and insufficient awareness of co-operatives were identified as the most important threats. Based on the results of the SOR analysis, it was found that women's co-operatives have a high chance of attack and have the strength to overcome threats, that crises are not serious, and that co-operatives are in a position to overcome weaknesses and threats by using their opportunities and strengths.