Exploring Empowerment Processes and Service Recommendations of Syrian Women in Türkiye: A Feminist Social Work Research

This qualitative study aims to explore the empowerment processes, future expectations, and service recommendations of refugee women living in Türkiye from a feminist social work perspective. Four focus group discussions were conducted with 10 Syrian women receiving services from a nongovernmental organization. The data were analyzed using theory-driven deductive thematic analysis with the MAXQDA 2024. Two main themes identified from the analysis: “empowerment levels and sources of strengths” and “future expectations and service recommendations of Syrian women.” The empowerment processes of the women were examined at personal, interpersonal, and socio-political levels, focusing on the resources utilized at each level. At the personal level, emotional, cognitive, motivational, and religious resources were identified, whereas at the interpersonal level, social support mechanisms, solidarity, and interaction with the local population were highlighted. At the socio-political level, vocational training and employment-related services emerged as significant empowerment resources. Key recommendations for enhancing women’s empowerment included the expansion of language and vocational training programs, the provision of psychosocial support services, and fostering social cohesion through initiatives. Future research would benefit from longitudinal designs to track immigrant women’s empowerment, compare experiences across groups from an intersectional perspective, and address structural barriers to service access.