The 2024 income tax declaration list released by the Revenue Administration of Türkiye reveals a persistent gender gap among the country’s top earners. Over the five-year period from 2020 to 2024, only 11 women permitted their names to be publicly listed as top individual income taxpayers. In the most recent list, only one woman made her name public.
This steep decline in public female representation from previous years has sparked renewed attention to the lack of visibility of women in Türkiye’s highest income brackets, especially in light of their growing participation in entrepreneurship, investment, and business leadership.
Gülden Kanatlı Derbil: The Lone Female Name in 2024
In a list dominated by male names and anonymous entries, Gülden Kanatlı Derbil, a Board Member of Eti Gıda, stood out as the only woman to appear in the 2024 income tax record with her identity disclosed. Ranking 96th, Derbil was taxed 75.8 million lira based on investment-related income through capital market operations.
This was not her first appearance. In 2020, she ranked 53rd, again as the sole woman to publicly appear in that year’s list. Her repeat visibility has positioned her as a consistent representative of women in a space where discretion is the norm and public recognition is rare.
Female Visibility in 2023: Slightly Better, but Still Sparse
In comparison, the 2023 list included two female taxpayers who allowed their names to be disclosed.
İpek Kıraç, a Board Member of Koç Holding, secured the 5th spot, making a striking impression. Her income derived from investment capital gains, placing her among the top ten highest tax contributors nationwide.
Ahu Serter, founder of the Arya Women Investment Platform, came in at 64th, also through capital income.
Their inclusion was seen as a hopeful sign of increasing female presence in Türkiye’s upper tax tiers. However, that progress has not been sustained in 2024.
2022: The Most Diverse Year for Female Representation
The 2022 list marked a relatively stronger year for gender balance, with four women publicly appearing among the top 100 income taxpayers. Besides Kıraç, who ranked 9th that year, the list included:
Ceyda Lale Tara, partner at Tara Holding, ranking 17th
Yaşar Begümhan Doğan Faralyalı, Board Member of Doğan Holding, listed at 65th
Diane Arcas, Vice Chair of Arkas Holding, who placed 90th
These names collectively reflected a broader visibility of women in sectors such as finance, media, logistics, and infrastructure, showing that women across different industries had managed to rise in the income hierarchy — at least temporarily.
2021: Three Female Leaders on the List
In the 2021 income tax rankings, three women stood out again:
İpek Kıraç at 7th
Ceyda Lale Tara at 15th
Ferda Çelebi, a well-known attorney, at 99th
Their presence hinted at a slow but ongoing increase in women achieving top-tier earnings in Türkiye. However, the drop back to a single name in 2024 suggests either a trend of increasing anonymity, a shift in income structures, or a broader economic and social regression affecting women’s roles in high-income domains.
Who Are the Women Behind the Numbers
A closer look at the women who made it onto these lists reveals patterns beyond just tax declarations. Most of these women belong to legacy families or major business empires — Koç, Eti, Tara, Arkas — or are self-made investors and entrepreneurs like Serter, who advocates for increased female participation in finance and investment.
Despite their prominence, very few new female names have emerged in the last five years. This signals a structural challenge: while a select few women may break through glass ceilings, there appears to be a lack of broader pipeline development for women across corporate and investment fields in Türkiye.
Why Visibility Matters
The names on the Revenue Administration’s list are only those who voluntarily opt for public disclosure. Many high-income earners choose anonymity for privacy, security, or reputational reasons — and this includes women.
However, public visibility carries symbolic importance. Seeing more women on top taxpayer lists provides representation, normalization of female wealth, and a motivational benchmark for younger generations. When the number drops to just one, it raises questions about structural inclusion, systemic barriers, and cultural norms surrounding women and wealth.
Comparative Snapshot: 2020–2024 Female Taxpayers
Here is a year-by-year overview of women who appeared publicly among Türkiye’s top individual taxpayers:
2020: Only Gülden Kanatlı Derbil (53rd)
2021: İpek Kıraç, Ceyda Lale Tara, Ferda Çelebi
2022: Kıraç, Tara, Doğan Faralyalı, Arcas
2023: Kıraç, Serter
2024: Only Derbil again
This tally reflects not just economic performance, but also gendered patterns in disclosure. Some women may earn significantly but choose not to make it public, while others may not reach the threshold due to limited access to capital, networks, or policy support.
A Call for More Inclusive Economic Participation
While the data does not paint the full picture of women’s financial contributions in Türkiye, it does shed light on their visible absence from top tax brackets — at least in public. Closing this gap will require more than individual success stories. It will demand policy frameworks, corporate reforms, access to financial tools, and most importantly, cultural change that normalizes women as wealth creators.
Organizations that support female entrepreneurship, venture capital aimed at women-led startups, and mentorship initiatives in finance and technology will all play crucial roles in changing this narrative.
Until then, the spotlight remains fixed on the handful of women who have managed to rise — and remain — on a list long dominated by their male counterparts.
