Top science body to examine rising divorce rate in Turkey

Erdinç Çelikkan – ANKARA

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) is set to examine the rising number of divorce cases in the country, which have gone up by 36.4 percent from 2001 to 2017.

The number of couples who divorced was recorded at 128,411 in 2017, according to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK). This figure was up from 91,994 in 2001; 95,895 in 2005; and 118,568 in 2010.

TÜBİTAK’s study will also reportedly consider “the impact of social media on divorces” as well as possible economic, social, cultural, psychological reasons.

The study will try to determine couples’ expectations from marriage, the way they met, partners’ habits, sex lives, and child raising behavior.

Following the study, the authorities will come up with models and suggestions to strengthen partners’ relationships. The proposed projects are expected to offer emotional support, including religious guidance, to partners, also addressing the issues of domestic violence.

When divorce figures are looked at based on “crude divorce rate,” which is the ratio of the number of divorces during the year to the average population in that year, Turkey has also seen an increase.

According to the latest figures released by the Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU, the crude divorce rate for Turkey was 1.7 (per 1,000 inhabitants) in 2017, up from 1.3 in 2004 and 1.6 in 2013.

In comparison with its European neighbors, this figures was still low, as the average of EU-28 countries was 1.9 in 2013, according to the most recent data available for the EU 28 member countries.

The Turkish province with the highest crude divorce rate was the Aegean province of İzmir with 2.57 in 2017. İzmir was followed by the Mediterranean province of Antalya and another Aegean province of Muğla with 2.51.

The province with the lowest crude divorce rate was the southeastern province of Hakkari with 0.2 in 2017. Hakkari was followed by the eastern province of Bitlis with 0.21 and the southeastern province of Şırnak with 0.22.