Parenting in Turkey

A book chapter written by Dr. Selenga Gürmen and Clinical Psychologist Sude Kılıç, "Parenting in Turkey," was published in Parenting Across Cultures, an international book on parenting in various cultures.

  As a result of the extensive literature review, it has been seen that Turkey acts as a bridge between the East and the West due to its geographical location, hosts different cultures, and impacts parenting attitudes. 

Changes in parenting attitudes have also occurred in the process, from a more traditional, male-dominated culture at the beginning to urbanization with industry development. 

Özellikle kadınların ekonomik hayata geçişi ile geleneksel bakım veren rolünün değişmeye başladığı bulunmuştur. 

There has been a transition from extended family to nuclear family, and it has been noticed that the number of children in the family has decreased. 

Recent literature suggests that the traditional caregiver role has begun to change, especially with women's transition to economic life. 

Studies have revealed that emotional attachment is high in the Turkish family structure, and emotional expression has an important place in raising children. 

It has been noticed that fathers are more responsible for discipline within the family. Still, both mothers and fathers play an encouraging role in sharing positive emotions and expressing negative emotions, and their parenting attitudes generally match each other. 

Although it is known that authoritarian attitudes often have adverse effects, it has been found that parental acceptance, which is common in Turkey, plays an essential role in this attitude and reduces the adverse effects of control and discipline behaviors. 

Findings suggest that the socioeconomic level significantly affects parenting attitudes. It has been recognized that for the development of the field, more research is needed on co-parenting, parental attitudes in divorced couples, and the effects of parental relationships on children.