Divorce as a fundamental risk faced by the family in Turkey

The family, a cornerstone of social structure, is facing increasingly complex and deepening risks today. The family institution, which meets the social, economic, and psychological needs of individuals, also plays a fundamental role in the continuity of social structure. However, families can occasionally face serious risks due to various social, economic, and psychological factors. One of these risks is divorce. Divorce has become a multifaceted risk factor that has profound effects on individuals and families and profoundly impacts social dynamics. It is accompanied by demographic changes such as rising divorce rates, falling fertility rates, shrinking household sizes, and the rise of single-parent families. This transformation is not limited to numerical data; it also points to fundamental changes in the nature of social structure. Using data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), the study analyzed the impact of variables such as age, education level, income status, age at marriage, urbanization rate, female labor force participation, and marriage duration on the risk of divorce. Crisis periods such as pandemics, natural disasters, and digitalization have further accelerated the change in the divorce phenomenon. Domestic tensions, increased violence, economic uncertainty, and social isolation, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, have paved the way for the dissolution of many marriages. Large-scale disasters like the February 6 earthquakes have weakened social solidarity mechanisms, making the family institution more vulnerable and fragile. Furthermore, the eroding privacy impact of social media and the shift in individual expectations are also direct determinants of the divorce process. Ultimately, the divorce process and its aftermath have a more profound and lasting impact not only on spouses but also on socially vulnerable groups, particularly women, children, and low-income individuals. Furthermore, when the demographic, economic, and psychosocial dimensions of divorce are considered together, a multilayered risk landscape extending from the individual to the state emerges. Precautions taken before and after divorce and social policies implemented will contribute to minimizing its impact.