Paper abstract:

The number of Uzbek migrants in Türkiye has increased in recent years. Even though studies on migration from Uzbekistan are springing up, there is very little work on the informal labor market of Uzbek women. The study focuses on examining the stories of migrant women at Mardikor Bazaar in Gungoren, Istanbul. The originality of mardikor comes from the Persian words a man (mard) and work (kor), meaning man's daily physical labor. However, since the Mardikor bazaar is gender-specific, Uzbek women organize it as the informal labor market in Türkiye. In particular, the interviews with 20 Uzbek migrant women involved in mardikor work provide a picture of the daily informal work. By analyzing the successes and failures of Uzbek migrant workers in Türkiye, the study provides some new empirical and evidence-based insights into labor influx.

Keywords: migration, labor, Uzbek, Türkiye, informality, mardikor