Gender equality is crucial when it comes to employment opportunities for women and men. Yet, hurdles still remain for women trying to join the labor force. Factors vary as women's participation in the labor force is lower than men's, though a patriarchal mindset and the outdated opinions of overwhelmingly male employers, who believe women are not suitable for every job, are thought to play a role. Women showcasing their skills in every job will be highlighted on International Women's Day marked on Tuesday. Against "male" odds, women working in industry, a sector with a huge men's workforce, have to prove that they are as capable as their male counterparts – though they don't complain often as they do not discriminate against jobs, unlike men.

In Kocaeli's Dilovası district, an industrial hub east of Istanbul, women make the majority of a factory manufacturing electricity panels. The factory's manager, Serkan Esen, was among the men prejudiced toward women's labor until two years ago. When the factory moved to its current location from another town, it struggled to find new, male workers. "We considered the possibility of hiring women and decided to give a chance to applicants. Eventually, they showed us that they can work in this sector as well, and they are even better than men," he admitted to Anadolu Agency (AA). Women are "more cautious, more attentive, more disciplined and more efficient," he said. "The industry has a patriarchal system but women are better in this sector. They learn and develop themselves whereas we have discipline issues with male workers. They work more in harmony unlike male workers," Esen said Monday.

The factory employs women in every area, from welding heavy, metal boxes to fastening their screws or shaping the enormous metal sheets inside heavy-duty equipment. Kader Arzu Taşdemir was among the few women in the factory when she started four years ago. Working in a section where she manufactures covers for boxes, she said it is a job "both genders can do." "My job involves pressing masses of iron and flattening them. My friends were surprised at first and asked whether it was difficult for a woman to do it. I never had any problems. Certainly, I was looking for an easier job but once I get used to it, it became an easy task for me," she said.

Cevadiye Dulun works in the welding section. "This is a job that can easily be done by any woman. Women can do anything as long as they love their job. I had difficulty at first but now I can weld with my eyes shut. I call all women to get a job, instead of sitting idly at home. You can self-develop and earn money on the side," she said.

In the capital Ankara, women play a key role in a company specialized in the defense and aviation industry. Müge Ertuğ Güzel, manager of the company, leads a team of mostly female engineers in their family company established more than four decades ago. At the Ostim Industrial Zone, the company manufactures spare parts for local and international companies in two sectors. Güzel said she started out as a worker herself, working in the assembly line and later, as an accountant. "I always focused on exports. Nowadays, I am more into the financial side of the work," said Güzel, whose company is a supplier of parts for companies like Boeing, Airbus, Sikorsky and Bombardier, through local defense companies. Most of the staff are women and Güzel says that qualifications, not gender, play a role in the business world. "Women can do anything. They can work with heavy-duty equipment. I believe a workplace is better with women employees," she said.

Güzel highlights that it was important to pave the way for "strong, self-dependent women," especially by promoting girls' education. "This is a social duty, rather than a responsibility of their families," she said.

Not all women are able to find a proper job but vocational learning courses help them enter the women's labor force. Family Support Centers (ADEM) help them learn and subsequently find jobs. In Gürpınar, a district of the eastern province of Van, some 5,000 women benefited from the centers, which cater to women seeking to better themselves. Five centers in rural neighborhoods, where women are usually confined to agricultural jobs, help their social inclusion and with finding new jobs. At workshops, women mainly learn handicrafts, from wood carving to carpet weaving, while literacy classes address another issue plaguing women in rural areas.

The women recently exhibited the handicraft products they made and started selling them through the Handicrafts Sales Office of a local charity. Zühre Değer, a mother of three who attends the vocational learning programs, said they learned new things and found a new job in their town where socialization options are limited. "I became aware of my strengths. Now I see myself as a businessperson rather than a housewife. I sell what I make and give allowances to my children. Besides learning, we go away on trips with other women and organize events. We spend our time better. This place changed my life. I can now stand on my own," Değer, who now plans to open a shop, told AA on Monday.

Seda Üstünkol said the center changed her life "a lot." "I discovered my skills. I didn't know I was that good," she said. "I socialize with others and make new friends. It motivates us to find our inner strength and earn some money. This place is perfect for women," she said.