In Turkey, marriage after age 70 has new dimension

ANKARA

Marriage after 70 years of age has a new dimension.

Last year, 3,112 people got married after the age of 70, according to official statistics. There were 2,712 males and 410 females.

That may seem a small number out of 1.2 million Turkish people who tied the knot in Turkey last year, but according to UN demographic statistics, Turkey is nearly first among nations for senior citizen marriages.

Attitudes to marriage in Turkey may explain the large number of marriages at an advanced age. 

In Turkey, marriage is seen as a secure institution, a way of solidifying and preserving the family, explained Sevim Atila Demir, an assistant professor of Sociology at Sakarya University in a paper published in 2013.

While senior citizen couples could live together without marriage, the act of marriage founds a family and is perhaps a new beginning for them. 

Ugur Demirbas, a psychologist, said that from birth to death we are motivated by our biological need for attachment -- the need to be in relationship -- one of the basic needs of human beings.

"People who did not have an attachment in their life will pursue this need until death. So, it is normal for people who are over 70 to look for a relationship."

 "When we look at marriages at the age of 70, we do not see same expectation or reason as from younger age marriages," commented lkim Oz, a psychologist and marriage counselor.

"They need to marry due to fears of ‘loneliness’ towards the end of their life. When people get sick, they need a partner to take care of them as well as needing someone to sit next to her/him for life conversation, and to share a meal or a coffee."

Oz said one of her patients commented: "I do not want to die alone. I never want to be alone and to be found dead at home many days or months later. That's why I want to marry."

According to Oz, one of the main triggers of depression is loneliness. "Friendship and mutual dependence in marriage deepen late after 70. They want to destroy the loneliness with love and sharing," she said.

Oz also said that children of people who are over 70 often want their father to get married. "Because they want his wife to look after them from washing clothes to cooking."

"As as result, love, sex lead to marriage for young people, lovelessness and to be loved lead to marriage for older people. A 'life partner' is always important no matter how old you are," she added.