Turkish FAMILY
Families are divided into several types according to social, economic
and local conditions. The traditional extended and nuclear families
are the two common types of families in Turkey. The traditional extended
family, generally means that three generations live together: grandfather,
adult sons and sons' sons, their wives and their unmarried daughters
a married daughter becomes a member of her husband's family and lives
there. There is a unity of production and consumption together with
common property. This type of family is becoming more and more rare
today. The nuclear family, parallel to industrialization and urbanization,
replaces traditional families. The nuclear family consists of a husband,
wife and unmarried children and is more suitable to modern Turkish
social life today.
There are some economic, traditional and emotional conditions that
form the duties and responsibilities of the modern nuclear family
member. As for the economic conditions, each individual is supposed
to play a part in supporting the continuation of the family. The father
is usually responsible for making the basic income, the mother may
perhaps contribute by working and if not, will assume full-time take
care of the home. Grandparents may also supply help with incomes from
their pension or returns from owned property and rents. Younger children
help with the housework (re-pairing, painting, cleaning) and when
older contribute by usually covering at least their own expenses.
Tradition places the father as the head of the family, but the mother
has equal rights. The father is the representative and protector of
the family whereas the mother takes care of all the day to day things.
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