Spatial Analysis of the Effects of Women’s Socioeconomic Status on Divorce Rates in Turkey
Ayça Özekin, Burcu SükütiThe purpose of this study is to investigate how much and in what direction divorce rates in Turkey are affected by women’s socioeconomic status. In the literature, it is stated that the most important reasons for the increasing divorce rates are the changing female roles in society and the family structure, the individualization brought about by industrialization, the increase in welfare levels, and the facilitation of divorce opportunities. The change in the place and role of women in the family structure is associated with the increase in women’s participation in the labor force and their increase in the level of education, which occurred alongside industrialization. At this point, the regional differentiation of socioeconomic status indicators for women reveals the need for a spatial study of the effects of these variables on the divorce rate. In the study, the relationship between the socioeconomic status indicators of women in Turkey and the divorce rates were examined by estimating the Spatial Autocorrelation (SAR) and Spatial Error (SEM) Models for 26 sub-regions in the Turkish Statistical Regional Units Classification (NUTS) Level 2. The findings revealed that socioeconomic status indicators of women have regionally different effects on divorce rates in Turkey, in line with
the expectations. While the divorce rates increased throughout the country over the years examined, it was observed that they were lower in the Eastern regions of the country than in the Western regions. In addition, it has been observed that the Independence Hypothesis is valid at high education levels, while low education level has a decreasing effect on divorce rates.
Türkiye’de Kadınların Sosyoekonomik Statülerinin Boşanma Oranlarına Etkilerinin Mekânsal Analizi
Ayça Özekin, Burcu SükütiBu çalışmanın amacı, Türkiye’de boşanma oranlarının kadınların sosyoekonomik statülerinden ne kadar ve ne yönde etkilendiğinin araştırılmasıdır. Literatürde artan boşanma oranlarının en önemli sebeplerinin, sanayileşmenin getirdiği bireyselleşme, refah seviyesinin artması ve boşanma olanaklarının kolaylaşması, toplum ve aile yapısı içinde değişen kadın rolleri olduğu belirtilmektedir. Aile yapısı içinde kadının yeri ve rolünün değişmesi ise sanayileşme ile birlikte kadının işgücüne katılımının artması ve eğitim seviyesinin yükselmesi ile ilişkilendirilmektedir. Bu noktada kadınlara ilişkin sosyoekonomik statü göstergelerinin bölgesel olarak farklılaşması, bu değişkenlerin boşanma oranı üzerindeki etkilerinin mekânsal olarak incelenmesi gerekliliğini ortaya çıkarmaktadır. Çalışmada, Türkiye’de kadınların sosyoekonomik statü göstergeleri ile boşanma oranları arasındaki ilişkiler Türkiye İstatistiki Bölge Birimleri Sınıflandırması (İBBS) Düzey 2’de bulunan 26 alt bölge için Mekânsal Gecikme (SAR) ve Mekânsal Hata (SEM) Modelleri tahmin edilerek incelenmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular beklentilerle uyumlu olarak, Türkiye’de boşanma oranları üzerinde kadınların sosyoekonomik statü göstergelerinin bölgesel olarak farklı etkileri olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. İncelenen yıllar içinde boşanma oranlarının tüm ülke genelinde artış gösterirken, ülkenin doğu bölgelerinde batısından daha düşük seyrettiği görülmüştür. Ayrıca yüksek eğitim seviyelerinde Bağımsızlık Hipotezinin geçerli olduğu, düşük eğitim seviyesinin ise boşanma oranlarını düşürücü etki gösterdiği gözlemlenmiştir.
The purpose of this study is to investigate how much and in what direction divorce rates in Turkey are affected by women’s socioeconomic status. In the literature, it is stated that the most important reasons for the increasing divorce rates are the changing female roles in society and the family structure, the individualization brought about by industrialization, the increase in welfare levels, and the facilitation of divorce opportunities. The change in the place and role of women in the family structure is associated with the increase in women’s participation in the labor force and the increase in the level of education, which occurred alongside industrialization. At this point, the regional differentiation of socioeconomic status indicators for women reveals the need for a spatial study of the effects of these variables on the divorce rate. In this context, the following indicators of socioeconomic status were evaluated for 2008, 2014, and 2019: educational status, household size, female labor rate, female employment rate, the crude divorce rate, and the female unemployment rate. The 26 sub-regions in the Turkish Statistical Region Units Classification (IBBS) Level 2, conducted by the TURKSTAT (Turkish Statistical Institute), were examined using Spatial Autocorrelation (SAR) and Spatial Error (SEM) Models.
The findings reveal that divorce rates have been steadily increasing across the country over the years studied. This situation is thought to be a result of the regulations made in the 1950s in the world and the 1980s in Turkey, accelerating the bureaucratic procedures regarding divorce and the regulations made in the laws that facilitate divorce cases. In addition, it has been observed that divorce rates are lower in the eastern regions of the country than in the western regions. It has been observed that this spatial differentiation arises due to many different reasons, such as: education, family and social structure, job opportunities provided to women, and the ratio of women in employment. The LISA maps obtained in the continuation of the study reveal that spatial differentiation occurs not only in one sub-region, but also in adjacent sub-regions. In summary, the effect of women’s socioeconomic indicators on divorce rates in any sub-region results in a combination of neighboring sub-regions. As a result, it can be seen that the divorce rates in Turkey are regionally affected by the socioeconomic status of women. In the models estimated for the three mentioned years, the average household size appears as a factor that increases the divorce rates. This situation reveals that the family order which derives from the patriarchal and extended family structure, especially in eastern societies, is a factor that increases divorce in Turkey.
While the increase in the rate of women graduating from college and univerisites increases the divorce rate for all three years, the increase in the number of illiterate women has a decreasing effect on the divorce rate. The result obtained supports the study of Jalovaara (2003). Accordingly, the Independence hypothesis (Hobson, 1990; Ruggles, 1997), which reveals that the increase in women’s education levels increases women’s economic freedom and that higher earnings are the motivation for ending unhappy marriages, is valid for Turkey.
To reveal the relationship between women’s economic conditions and divorce rates, the variables of female unemployment rate, female employment rate, and female labor force participation rate provided different results for the models in the years 2014 and 2019 than in the year 2008. Here, it is thought that different variables affect the relationship between these variables and divorce rates for Turkey after 2008. While the increase in the female unemployment rate and employment rate in 2008 had a decreasing effect on the divorce rate, the increase in labor force participation increased the divorce rates. However, for 2014 and 2019, the said relationship was reversed, while the increase in unemployment and employment rates increased the divorce rates, the increase in the labor force participation rate had a decreasing effect on the divorce rate. At this point, it can be thought that the increase in the unemployment rate experienced in the relevant years emerged independently of women’s education. On the other hand, the fact that the increase in labor force participation rates has a decreasing effect on divorce suggests that the increase in labor force participation occurs independently of women’s education and the nature of the work that society allows them to do.
