MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Çêwlig – More women participate in the labor force in Bingöl province; they work in agriculture, shops, health sector. Bingöl is known as a conservative city but the women of the city are breaking this conservative structure and take part in every part of life. In the city, three women came together to open a bakery called, “Tandoor House”. These women both earn money and become role models for women living in the city. Three women bake local and tandoor bread. In the Tandoor House, opened three years ago, the women work the whole day. They start the day by lighting the tandoor oven and they work seven days a week. Women who enjoy baking bread are known by everyone in Bingöl.

They have their economic freedom

Each woman has a role in the Tandoor House. “We fill the tandoors with wood. We bake several kinds of bread. We also bake local and traditional bread in the tandoors.  Each of us has a role in baking bread. While one of us checks the baking bread, another kneads dough. One of our friends sells the baked bread. Each job has its difficulties but baking bread in a tandoor oven is more difficult. We can only take a break at noon, we work the whole day. We have to be fast because we work with fire,” Zehra Ataoğlu told us.

Three women decided to open their bakery due to financial difficulties they faced. Zehra Ataoğlu indicated that she is happy because she works with women and earns money. “Beyond economic concerns, standing on our own legs is a nice feeling. We gain self-confidence when we work. The people of the city prefer to buy bread from our bakery because our bakery is cleaner than other bakery shops.”

“I can buy something for my children now”

Zehra Ataoğlu pointed out that the people, who used to criticize her, follow in her footsteps, “More women have started to work in the city in the last two years,” Zehra Ataoğlu said