Perception of child, woman and the family during Atatürk Period

The Republic of Turkey was founded after the victory of Turkish people pursuing a National Movement that took place between 1922 and 1919 in Anatolia. The Turkish Revolution which began right after the military struggle, amounted to deep transformations both in the state and society. The transformations in the society closely affected each individual, and the family institution. With the new regime, when compared to the Ottoman era, women's and children's roles in the family relationship and the perception towards them are amounted to meaningful alterations. The reach of women and their right to free speech in the family both flourished. On the other hand it is widely understood that the children are important individuals deserved investigation as building blocks of the family and society. For this reason, the problems of women and children in the country were discussed with all aspects and proper solutions were sought during this era. One of the primary aims of the Turkish Revolution under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was to provide social equality. In this process inherent inequality of women and men is challenged by enacting laws that granted economic, political and social rights to Turkish women. Important developments were achieved towards women's emancipation and socialization through intoducing the rights in many domains such as education, voting, attending elections and recognition of workforce. The negative attitude towards woman was tried to be altered by the new regime. Similarly, there have been significant developments concerning childhood life in the country. While the public was educated towards the fact that children were the guardians of the country and the assurance of its future, perception studies on the side were well put in place. Improving and developing elements to the children's and women's life were all introduced throughout health, education, population, economy and social policies. Private and political institutions have created public awareness and sought decent solutions to essential children related problems such as street children, beggar children, and orphans. This study is an attempt to shed light on the alterations to the perception of the Turkish family structure and family members during the period from the establishment of the Republic of Turkey until 1938. Moreover, as we discuss the impact of the modernization process that started with the Turkish Revolution especially on women and children, we also tried to demonstrate the progress regarding community life Keywords: Family, Woman, Child, Republic, Modernization