Value of children and family change: A three-decade portrait from Turkey

Abstract

The Turkish Value of Children Study consisted of three generations from three socioeconomic strata in a metropolitan center and from two rural areas. The findings showed a sharp increase in the psychological, and a corresponding decrease in the utilitarian/economic values attributed to children over the last three decades. Son preference has been replaced by daughter preference, pointing to changing family dynamics and family roles. Corresponding modifications in expectations from (adult) children, qualities desired in children, and actual, desired, and ideal numbers of children are in line with expectations, providing support for Kagitcibasi's Model of Family Change. Comparisons of values attributed to children over three decades and across generations and social strata provide insights for understanding social change and development in Turkish society and possibly in similar societies.