By Sare Selvi Öztürk
ISTANBUL
As couples increasingly head to court to end their marriages, a rise in individualism is being seen as the main reason behind the high divorce rate, experts have said.
The traditional structure of eastern society has changed over time and the concept of individualism stands out in relationships today, according to Murat Dokur, the president of Therapies for Family and Marriage Foundation.
“Although losing your unique sense of self is not part of a healthy marriage, the concept of 'togetherness' is melting away,” he said.
Nevzat Tarhan, rector of Uskudar University, said the main reasons for divorce arose mainly from a lack of communication and empathy within the family, and that the institution of marriage will fade in the near future.
Judging from the current divorce rate and decline in the number of marriages in Turkey, Tarhan said the trend could reach 25 percent in a decade.
- Marriages 'lacking principles'
He noted that the latest increase in Turkey's divorce rate was much higher than in any other country.
Tarhan said that a new generation, which consumes more than it produces, is arriving as a result of marriages lacking fundamental marital principles like respect, care and patience.
A journalist who does not want to be named and who got divorced two months ago after 15 years of marriage, said the role of women in society, their mentality and position towards life have all changed.
She said: "They have economic power, they don’t need to bow to pressure from their husbands".
"There is a saying in Turkish society that men make houses, women make homes. It means that the whole household is on the shoulders of women."
"But women are actively involved in working life, so you can’t expect them to manage a household on their own after work. Men have huge expectations of their wives," she added.
- More Turkish couples divorcing
The number of Turkish couples who got divorced rose to 125,305 in 2013, an increase of 1.6 percent on the previous year, a recent report by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) showed.
The report also revealed that 40.3 percent of divorces occur in the first five years of marriage, while 21.5 percent occurred between six and 10 years.
Turkey’s Antalya province has the highest divorce rate, at 2.7 percent last year.
It was followed by Izmir with 2.68 percent and Mugla with 2.51 percent.
The province with the lowest divorce rate was Hakkari in the East Anatolia Region.
