Murtazaoglu says having or not having children is her choice to make. Photo: YASIN AKGUL/AFP
Alarmed by the fact that Turkish women are having fewer children, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has moved to tackle falling birthrates – “a threat greater than war” – through policies designed to bring on the babies.
After declaring 2025 Turkiye’s “Year of the Family”, Erdogan in May announced 2026 would mark the start of the “Decade of the Family”.
But his pleas for women to have at least three children and offers of financial incentives for newlyweds may not be enough as Turkiye grapples with a deepening economic crisis.
Official figures show Turkiye’s birthrate has fallen from 2.38 children per woman in 2001 to 1.48 in 2025 – lower than in France, Britain or the United States – in what Erdogan, a 71-year-old Muslim and father-of-four, has denounced as “a disaster”.
During his 22 years in office – first as premier, then president – fertility rates have dropped sharply in this country of 85 million people.
Women are considered culprits for the declining population growth rate, with no acknowledgement of political mistakes, said retired academic and feminist activist Berrin Sonmez.
“People might be hesitant to have children in this chaotic and uncertain environment. Additionally, child support is almost non-existent and education has become the most expensive sector,” she said.
Dr Bodur says some women ask for a C-section 'at the first appointment for fear of pain.'
No education, no jobs
High inflation has raged in Turkiye for the past four years, forcing education costs up by more than 70% over the past year, official data shows.
In the first quarter, unemployment stood at 8.2%, or 15% among 15- to 24-year-olds.
Researchers with the DISK union say the real rate is 28.5%, and 37.5% among young people.
But the government seems bent on fixing other issues, such as Turkiye’s record number of elective Caesarean births – which stands at 61%, rising to 78% in some private hospitals.
In April, Turkiye banned C-section births at private healthcare facilities “without a medical justification”.
The procedure generally limits the number of pregnancies to two, or a maximum of three.
C-sections: the ‘safer option’
Medical professionals say the high number of C-sections is linked to the rampant privatisation of the healthcare system since the late 1990s.
C-sections are more time-efficient for medical staff – 30 minutes, versus 12 hours for a traditional delivery – and lower the risk of legal action over complications, said Hakan Coker, an Istanbul-based gynaecologist.
“Ultimately, C-sections are perceived as a guarantee of safety” for doctors and women alike, he said.
Dr Harika Bodur, an obstetrician at a major Istanbul hospital, said some women ask for a C-section “at the first appointment for fear of pain”.
“If you refuse, they’ll go elsewhere,” she said.
The fear is rooted in a lack of education and discomfort with sexuality.
The health ministry says it is now “aiming for a target rate of 20% (of C-sections) by encouraging normal childbirth through education of future parents”.
But the word “normal” has raised hackles – notably in April, when a football team carried a huge banner promoting vaginal births onto the pitch before a top-flight clash, which read: “Natural birth is normal.”
Women as ‘birthing machines’
“If I don’t want to, I won’t have any children at all, it’s my right,” said 23-year-old chemistry student Secil Murtazaoglu.
By offering interest-free loans of 150,000 Turkish lira (RM16,135) for newlyweds and a monthly allowance of 5,000 lira (RM537) from the third child onwards, Erdogan was trying “to turn women into birthing machines”, Murtazaoglu said.
Feminist activist Sonmez said women were subjected to huge pressures, both within their families and within society, when the much more pressing issue was the need to tackle gender violence.
“We must start by combating violence against women: such policies have been eradicated and protections seriously undermined,” she said. – AFP
