Turkey's "Year of the Family" 2025: Authoritarian trends and political economy of anti-gender politics

Hürcan Aslı Aksoy and Sinem Bal

No 14/2026, SWP Comments from Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), German Institute for International and Security Affairs

Abstract: The Turkish government's declaration of 2025 as the "Year of the Family" reflects an increasingly authoritarian approach to managing demographic decline amid conditions of economic strain. Falling fertility rates are framed as a strategic challenge to national resilience, giving rise to a policy agenda that positions the family as the cornerstone of demographic recovery. At the same time, anti-gender politics has moved beyond ideological rhetoric towards a broader governance strategy linking demographic management, fiscal constraints, and authoritarian consolidation. For Germany and the European Union (EU), understanding these developments is essential for engaging Turkey on democratic governance, social policy, and gender equality.

Keywords: Turkey; Year of the Family 2025; demography; family policy; fertility rates; gender governance; gender equality; Justice and Development Party (AKP); Turkey's Ministry of Family and Social Services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:swpcom:340853

DOI: 10.18449/2026C14

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