Khaberni - The Turkish Minister of Social Services and Family warned of the increasing decrease in birth rates in Turkey, describing the issue as a "national survival matter," amid data revealing that half of the families are without children.
Mehinur Ozdemir Goktas pointed out that official forecasts show that the number of children in primary school will decrease by 900,000 over the next five years, adding: "Many of the challenges we face stem from weakening the family institution."
The Turkish minister defended the government's decision to proclaim 2025 as the "Year of the Family," asserting that it faced "smear campaigns and misinformation."
She criticized attempts to pit the concept of family against women's rights, stressing that "whoever glorifies one while undermining the other is in fact weakening both." She said that individualism and social isolation are on the rise, warning that the population decrease in Turkey cannot be explained by economic factors alone.
She added: "This issue cannot be reduced to income levels or employment rates. Around the world, countries are taking measures to strengthen families," noting that Turkey must also deal with the matter beyond ideological divisions.
The fertility rate in Turkey has steadily decreased in recent years, reaching well below the renewal level. The government has launched various incentives, including financial support for new parents, in an effort to reverse this trend.
