The Perspective on Child in Turkish Society in Terms of Childhood Sociology

Abstract

In this study, to understand the value and meaning given to children in Turkish society, an 8-question interview was applied to 31 people. The answers obtained from the interviews with open-ended questions were analyzed. The purpose of using a qualitative method is to capture all answer possibilities. The results are meaningful to show us not only the child's perspective but also the Turkish family structure. We have also understood the role of mother and father in the home, the difference in perspective between girls and boys, and the influence of religion and traditions on the formation of values related to the child. The results of the study enable us to understand the intergenerational transformation of the perspective given to children by the Turkish society, since interviews were conducted on the people at the various age range. The findings make an important contribution to the debates in child sociology. At the same time, in the historical development of the meaning attributed to the child, we can understand how the child is looked at today. As a result, while the older generations take the issue of having children as an obligation of traditions and religion, younger generations take the issue more emotionally. Older generations take the children as the main factor in establish a family, on the other hand, yourger ones do not accept having children as a basic element of a family establishment. Additionally, in the context of gender, older generations have stated that the predominant responsibility for raising children often falls on the mother. On the other hand, younger generations take responsibility for both mothers and fathers with a more egalitarian approach. While the older generation and middle-aged people look at the concept of childhood as a more sacred, abundant, and work force at the same time, the younger generation approaches the concept of childhood more critically and cautiously. Basically, the reason for this is that the two generations who grew up in different social structures have different views and preferences