ANKARA / ISTANBUL

Türkiye's first lady Emine Erdogan on Tuesday urged the international community to develop a new vision for reinforcing the family institution, warning that falling birthrates and aging populations are pushing societies toward a “post-family era.”

In a video message to the international summit "Growing Europe 2025", Erdogan said traditional family life – with extended families, shared celebrations and generations gathering around the same table – has largely disappeared from modern societies.

She argued that this shift reflects not only cultural change but also the early signs of a world distancing itself from its core social unit.

The first lady highlighted global demographic trends, noting that fertility has dropped to 2.2 children per woman and that more than half of countries are already below the replacement threshold. By 2030, one in six people will be over 60, and the population aged 80 and above is expected to triple by 2050.

“Each birth adds a new day to the spring of the world,” she said. “Falling birthrates and a shrinking young population slow economic growth and place serious financial pressure on social security and healthcare systems. In short, a world that cannot renew itself is inevitably dragged into a major impasse.”

She underlined Türkiye’s response to these challenges, recalling the declaration of 2025 as the Year of the Family and 2026–2035 as the Decade of Family and Population.

Policies such as housing and marriage loans, extended parental leave, childcare support and flexible working arrangements aim to ease the tension between work and family life, she said.

Erdogan also criticized cultural narratives that portray family life as a barrier to ambition, saying the modern “culture industry” elevates individualism while sidelining the family.

She expressed hope that the summit would serve as a platform to counter these trends and inspire more substantial commitments to family-centered policies.

“The steps we take to place the family at the center will bring new breath to an aging and increasingly lonely world,” she added.