Abstract:

As it is the case in many regions of our country, in the rural areas of the Black Sea Region, the labor force is lost by continuous migration during the period from 1950 to the present day, and necessary development cannot be achieved in terms of progress. When the sex profiles of migrants are examined, it is observed that they are mostly composed of property and accordingly female population in rural areas in these regions is more than male population. Our women in these sectors are not able to participate in the active labor force sufficiently because of the limited opportunities for work and education. In this context, ecotourism activities have the potential to be evaluated as a driving force in increasing the employment opportunities for our women who are in disadvantaged situation with limited opportunities to participate in labor force and provision of progress especially in rural areas. In addition, labor force working in ecotourism activities in rural areas is very important for the continuity of these activities. In these segments of the society with limited possibilities in the context of attending labor force, participation of women in ecotourism activities will enable them to provide economic contribution and also to meet the labor force necessary for the continuation of ecotourism activities. In this context, a situation similar to the above-mentioned conditions is observed in Shayhli Neighborhood, Piraziz district of Giresun province as the area of our study. Shayhli Neighborhood is favorable for the development of ecotourism activities with its natural and local cultural attractiveness. Ecotourism activities in this area continue under the leadership of our women. In this study, we tried to address the contribution of women in the continuity of ecotourism activities in Shayhli Neighborhood with regard to rural development and ecotourism. As a result of our research, based on example of Shayhli Neighborhood we can say that the contribution that women can add to progress and ecotourism development is very important in our region and other rural areas of our country and this means that these activities can provide remarkable contributions to the improvement of the living standards of our women and the development of ecotourism activities.

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