Turkey's first 'single mothers' association' established
About 50 women reached out to Serap Yelkenci via her social media account when she shared the challenges of being a single mother in November 2022. They came together, discussing the difficulties of single motherhood, and their numbers gradually increased over time.
Wanting to systematically address the issues faced by single mothers, they aimed to organize themselves institutionally, leading to the official establishment of the Single Mothers Association on March 18. The foundation of the association was declared today at an event held at Bahçeşehir University in İstanbul.
Speaking at the meeting, the founder of the association, Serap Yelkenci, touched upon several points:
* The intention of our association is to contribute to the struggle for gender equality. We are here today to work harder for a society where everyone has equal rights. March 21 is celebrated as Single Parent Day. Therefore, we wanted to make this announcement today.
* The inspiration for the association's logo came from the octopus. Doesn't being a single mother resemble trying to juggle everything like an octopus within the realms of child-rearing, work, and household duties?
* There is no data available specifically about single mothers in Turkey. Based on statistics from the Turkish Statistical Institute, it is estimated that there are at least 3.5 million single mothers raising at least 7 million children.
* The most urgent problems that single mothers face include feeling abandoned, lack of access to thematic information, and economic conditions.
Applications to the association can be made via the website bekaranneler.org.
"Nuclear families are decreasing in numbers"
Speaking at the event, Bahçeşehir University Lecturer Prof. Pınar Melis Yelsalı-Parmaksız said, "The trend worldwide indicates a decline in nuclear families. Divorce rates are increasing globally. In Turkey, divorce rates have doubled in recent years, while marriage rates have decreased. We also see an increase in single-parent households in Turkey, with 80% of them being single mothers, most of whom are divorced mothers." (EMK/VK)