"For the first time in history, the birth rate in Turkey has dropped to 1.48. This is a catastrophe!" This is how President Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented on the current data and called on his compatriots to have more children.
In order for the Turkish population not to decrease, the birth rate should be 2.1. But the trend continues to be downward, the German public media ARD points out in this regard.
Erdogan knows that this development is poison for the labor market, economic growth and pension insurance. Therefore, more children must be born - at least three per family, he says. Recently, the president even asked rhetorically: "Why not four or five?"
A family cannot support itself on a minimum wage
However, the leader of the opposition Republican People's Party, Özgür Özel, has a specific question for the government: how can people have children with a minimum wage of 22,000 liras?
22,000 Turkish liras is equivalent to about 450 euros. In Istanbul, this is not even enough for a small apartment to rent, let alone supporting an entire family, the publication says further. It also makes it clear that many people point to the high costs of living and education as the main obstacle to having more children.
In this regard, ARD quotes a mother whose name is not mentioned in the publication. "I only have one child. I work as a teacher and I know how difficult it is to cover the costs of one child in school - school supplies, school bus, lunch and so on. It is almost impossible to think about a second child."
Erdogan sees other reasons for the decline in the birth rate
However, the Turkish president is looking for other culprits - such as the LGBT movement, which he constantly calls "perverted". In addition, Erdogan is calling for men to participate more actively in family duties. Still, the Turkish government recognizes that families bear a heavy financial burden. That is why it wants to expand financial support for families. Erdogan, however, does not believe that money is the only reason: "At a time when per capita income was only one-fifth of today's, the birth rate in our country was almost twice as high", he said, quoted by ARD.
Money plays a significant role, believes Ali Eryurt, a sociologist at the prestigious Hacettepe University in Ankara. "Education costs in particular have increased significantly, as private schools are increasingly common. Starting from kindergarten, each subsequent level of education costs families almost a fortune", he said in an interview with ARD.
However, Eryurt does not accept this as the only reason for the low birth rate. According to him, fundamental changes in society and different expectations of life also play a role. "The previously prevailing family-oriented attitude, as well as the readiness for self-sacrifice and selflessness, are increasingly giving way to individualistic desires for personal development, freedom and self-realization," he emphasizes.
Parents consciously invest in only one child
Add to this the competitive labor market - at least in terms of better-paid professions. And for parents, a kind of competitive environment arises in which their children have to compete. That is why young parents consciously invest in only one child. Eryurt even speaks of an imposing "one-child norm".
He does not believe that government measures such as longer maternity leave or the expansion of child benefits are wrong. But he calls for a fundamental change in family policy. It is not enough to simply want to increase the birth rate in some way.
The state must enable couples to realize their desire to have children. This includes better childcare options and better education available to all. "Expanding kindergartens, improving their quality and having the state bear a greater share of the costs would make it easier for couples to have as many children as they want," Eryurt told ARD.
If more children are not born in Turkey soon, the population will start to age in 20 to 30 years.