Violence is no cause for divorce: women

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Hürriyet photo

A recent survey conducted by the Ministry of Family and Social Policies shows that almost 20 percent of Turkish women do not consider violence and beating as reasons for divorce.

The survey, called “Family Structure in Turkey,” also showed that 26.6 percent of divorced women’s motivation to end their marriage was irresponsible and apathetic behavior by their husbands. The survey also revealed that 20.8 percent of women decided to divorce because of maltreatment and beating.

Cheating was the third most common reason for divorce with 16.8 percent, while economic reasons and alcohol or gambling followed with 15.4 percent.

According to the survey 85 percent of Turkish males say they prefer their spouse not to have previously been married, while some 90 percent of women say they want their future partner to be employed.
 
Religious and ethnic uniformity

Three out of every four Turkish people who took the survey say they prefer their partner to be religious, while 59 percent say a potential partner must belong to the same religious sect as themselves. Also every other person in Turkey attaches importance to the ethnic origin of their prospective husband or wife, the survey says.

According to the survey 9.3 percent of women marry before 18 years of age but the average age of marriage for women was determined as 19.9 years.

However female college graduates marry at the age of 25, and college graduate men also marry at age 26, according to the statistics.

The ideal age of marriage for women is 18-24 according to 66 percent of Turkish society. Thirty percent says women should marry between the ages of 25 and 29.

The survey also shows statistics about how Turkish people marry. Accordingly, 44.2 percent of all marriages are arranged marriages (the procedure the family inspecting a marriageable girl) while 38.7 percent of the participants say they chose their partners themselves with their parents’ approval. 93.2 percent married officially and religiously. Only 3.42 percent had just official and only 3.36 percent only religious marriages.

Meanwhile, some 30 percent of the participants say they expect a high income from their future partners. The survey also gives information about Turkish people’s leisure activities.

Accordingly, watching TV is the leading activity for family members with 59 percent, while only 3.2 percent go to movies as a family. The research also shows that 59.6 percent of Turks were happy. This number was 65.1 percent in 2006.