This paper aims to understand the interplay between the neighborhood (spatial) effects of poverty, ethnicity, kin, and patriarchy, and women's agency in the context of an inner-city slum in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. It is based on a field study that focuses on the experiences of women residents - that is, rural migrants known for their dependency on neighborhood spaces - and their grown-up daughters who were raised in the city. The neighborhood context - namely, the social and physical isolation of the site, the limited access to urban institutions, and the growing risk of crime - has a negative impact on women's lives, restraining but not determining women's agency. Women's struggle for agency in this context is contingent on other factors, including whether they live in ethnic clusters and whether their husbands are working, as well as urban experience and individual biography. © 2008 Pion Ltd and its Licensors.