The family is the fundamental building block that ensures the continuity of a society.
The family is a unit where individuals such as parents, siblings, and grandparents live
Together, responsibilities are shared, and decisions are made jointly.
According to Emile Durkheim, society consists of small, interconnected units, and the
The most important of these units is the family.
This is because the family is the individual’s primary socialization context. The family
transfers culture, emotional support, and education, and as a result, it is the most
An important place where the foundation of individuals’ personalities is laid.
A healthy family structure creates a healthy society.
According to our Turkish culture, from the past to the present, the family has been
accepted as one of the most sacred and indispensable institutions of society, forming
The basis of interpersonal solidarity and value transfer.
However, the perspective towards the family structure has changed over time. One of
the most important reasons for this change is the shifting attitudes of today’s youth
towards marriage. Compared to the past, young people are focusing on both their
education and their careers, keeping the prospect of marriage at a distance. They have
grown up as more libertarian and individualized youths.
From a woman’s perspective, this situation can be evaluated as follows: with women
entering higher education, their participation in the workforce has increased, and
employment levels have risen. Career-oriented women have distanced themselves
from the idea of marriage and having children, that is, the idea of starting a family. They
have viewed the family as an obstacle in their career path.
The biggest reason for this is the system we are in, namely, employers imposing the role
of having children on women, or acting in a way that prevents them from being hired or
advancing in their careers by asserting the thought that the possibility of getting married
In the near future, it might create an obstacle in their work.
As the biggest example, while male candidates are not asked questions like “are you
planning to have a child, when?” when entering academia, these questions are
imposed on female candidates. Because of this, women are distancing themselves
from starting a family or the idea of having a child.
For young people who have reached the age of marriage, economic difficulties can be
shown as one of the biggest obstacles to starting a family. The experience of high price
increases from the food we eat to the residences we live in due to rising inflation puts
us in trouble even in our normal individual lives, while starting a new family outside our
own family home and having a child is seen as an extra expense. Therefore, young
people do not prefer to marry and start a family.
To look at the future of the family institution in Türkiye, we must first consider the old
Turkish family structure.
In the past, starting a family was considered a mandatory duty for both women and
men. The next step for a man returning from military service would be marriage. Since
women had limited access to education, they were faced with the step of marriage after
puberty.
Having a child was a responsibility for married couples. The main factor that allowed
this marriage to become a family was the children. A child not only made a marriage a
family, but in the agricultural regions of Central Anatolia and Eastern Anatolia, a child
also meant a surplus workforce. That is why it is observed that there were numerically
more children in old Turkish families compared to today.
With the development of industry in Türkiye, great and radical changes occurred in the
Turkish family structure as families migrated to industrial regions (e.g., the Marmara
Region). Results such as having fewer children and transitioning from an extended
family to a nuclear family have emerged. With industrialization, women have also taken
a greater part in business life, and for this reason, they have had to raise their children
with grandmother figures.
With the development of industry and technology, the perspective on the family has
evolved into its current state. One of the most important factors determining the future
of the family institution in Türkiye is also technology. The entry and increasingly
widespread use of applications, especially dating apps, in our lives have changed the
ways individuals establish relationships. This situation causes the institution of
marriage to be preferred later compared to the past and, in some cases, to be put in the
background.
In order to balance this situation and protect the future of the family institution, the
birth incentives, marriage supports, regulations for working mothers, and social
Assistance policies implemented in our country aim to ensure the sustainability of the
family structure despite changing economic and technological conditions and to form a
more balanced, conscious, and strong family model in the future.
According to our Turkish culture, the family has been the main pillar of society from the
past to the present; however, changing social and economic conditions have made the
The transformation of this structure is inevitable.
In conclusion, although the family institution in Türkiye has preserved its existence from
the past to the present, today it has entered a significant process of transformation
under the influence of economic, technological, and social changes. This
transformation does not mean that the family structure has weakened; on the contrary,
it shows that it is reshaping itself in a different way by adapting to new conditions. In the
future, while the family structure is expected to evolve into a more equalitarian and
flexible structure based on individual preferences, it is predicted that it will continue to
sustain its basic functions such as social solidarity and value transfer. At this point, it is
of great importance for both individuals and the state to establish a balance that adapts
to changing conditions but preserves the fundamental values of the family institution.
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