Abstract
Domestic violence is a prevalent and persisting social problem that is still the case in many developed and developing countries alike, including Turkey. Drawing up theoretical and public discussions at the intersection of family issues, masculinity, and violence against women, this book chapter discusses the effect of a first-born child’s gender on domestic violence against women between married couples in Turkey. In other words, by adopting a unique approach to this social problem, this chapter aims to address to what extent having a daughter as the first child can account for a father’s violent behavior against a mother. To this end, a Probit regression model is estimated using the only available national data on domestic violence against women covering 2 years: 2008 and 2014, provided by the Institute of Population Studies, Hacettepe University. Although this study produces mixed empirical results, the findings suggest that fathers who have a daughter as the first-born child are less likely to use economic and physical violence against their spouse. This chapter not only raises awareness in the country about domestic violence against women but also provides gender-sensitive social policy recommendations by opening up a new discussion on the topic.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Acar, F., & Altunok, G. (2013). The politics of intimate at the intersection of neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism in contemporary Turkey. Women’s Studies International Forum, 41, 14–23.
Akar, T., Aksakal, F. N., Demirel, B., Durukan, E., & Ozkan, S. (2010). The prevalence of domestic violence against women among a group woman: Ankara, Turkey. Journal of Family Violence, 25(5), 449–460.
Akyuz, A., Sahiner, G., & Bakir, B. (2008). Marital violence: Is it a factor affecting the reproductive health status of women? Journal of Family Violence, 23(6), 437–445.
Alkan, O., & Tekmanli, H. H. (2021). Determination of the factors affecting sexual violence against women in Turkey: A population-based analysis. BMC Women’s Health, 21(1), 1–15.
Altinay, A. G., & Arat, Y. (2009). Violence against women in Turkey: A nationwide survey. Punto.
Angelucci, M. (2008). Love on the rocks: Domestic violence and alcohol abuse in rural Mexico. The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 8(1), 1–43.
Ansara, D. L., & Hindin, M. J. (2011). Psychosocial consequences of intimate partner violence for women and men in Canada. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26(8), 1628–1645.
Ballif-Spanvill, B., Clayton, C. J., & Hendrix, S. B. (2007). Witness and nonwitness children’s violent and peaceful behavior in different types of simulated conflict with peers. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 77(2), 206–215.
Bauer, M., & Chytilová, J. (2013). Women, children and patience: Experimental evidence from Indian villages. Review of Development Economics, 17(4), 662–675.
Bensley, L., Van Eenwyk, J., & Simmons, K. W. (2003). Childhood family violence history and women’s risk for intimate partner violence and poor health. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 25(1), 38–44.
Bettinger-Lopez, C., & Bro, A. (2020). A double pandemic: Domestic violence in the age of COVID-19. Council on Foreign Relations.
Borrell-Porta, M., Costa-Font, J., & Philipp, J. (2019). The ‘mighty girl’ effect: Does parenting daughters alter attitudes towards gender norms? Oxford Economic Papers, 71(1), 25–46.
Butler, D., Coskun, O., & Altayli, B. (2020). Turkey considering quitting treaty on violence against women: Ruling party. Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-women/turkey-considering-quitting-treaty-on-violence-against-women-ruling-party-idUSKCN2511QX
Caetano, R., Field, C. A., & Nelson, S. (2003). Association between childhood physical abuse, exposure to parental violence, and alcohol problems in adulthood. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18(3), 240–257.
Campbell, J. C. (2002). Health consequences of intimate partner violence. The Lancet, 359(9314), 1331–1336.
Chin, Y. M. (2012). Male backlash, bargaining, or exposure reduction? Women’s working status and physical spousal violence in India. Journal of Population Economics, 25(1), 175–200.
CNN. (2020). Women are using code words at pharmacies to escape domestic violence during lockdown. CNN. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/02/europe/domestic-violence-coronavirus-lockdown-intl/index.html
Coker, A. L., Smith, P. H., Bethea, L., King, M. R., & McKeown, R. E. (2000). Physical health consequences of physical and psychological intimate partner violence. Archives of Family Medicine, 9(5), 451–457.
Coltrane, S. (1994). Theorizing masculinities in contemporary social science. In H. Brod & M. Kaufman (Eds.), Theorizing masculinities (pp. 39–60). SAGE.
Connell, R. W. (1987). Gender and power. Stanford University Press.
Connell, R. W. (2005). Masculinities (2nd ed.). University of California Press.
Connell, R. W., & Messerschmidt, J. W. (2005). Hegemonic masculinity: Rethinking the concept. Gender and Society, 19(6), 829–859.
Cosar, S., & Ozkan-Kerestecioglu, I. (2016). Feminist politics in contemporary Turkey: Neoliberal attacks, feminist claims to the public. Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, 38(2), 151–174.
Dauphin, A., El Lahga, A. R., Fortin, B., & Lacroix, G. (2011). Are children decision-makers within the household? The Economic Journal, 121(553), 871–903.
Domenech Del Rio, I., & Sirvent Garcia Del Valle, E. (2017). The consequences of intimate partner violence on health: A further disaggregation of psychological violence-evidence from Spain. Violence Against Women, 23(14), 1771–1789.
Ergin, N., Bayram, N., Alper, Z., Selimoglu, K., & Bilgel, N. (2006). Domestic violence: A tragedy behind the doors. Women & Health, 42(2), 35–51.
Euronews. (2020). Domestic violence cases jump 30% during lockdown in France. Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/2020/03/28/domestic-violence-cases-jump-30-during-lockdown-in-france
Evans, M. L., Lindauer, M., & Farrell, M. E. (2020). A pandemic within a pandemic – Intimate partner violence during Covid-19. New England Journal of Medicine, 383(24), 2302–2304.
Gokler, M. E., Arslantas, D., & Unsal, A. (2014). Prevalence of domestic violence and associated factors among married women in a semi-rural area of western Turkey. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 30(5), 1088.
Gracia, E. (2004). Unreported cases of domestic violence against women: Towards an epidemiology of social silence, tolerance, and inhibition. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 58, 536–537.
GREVIO. (2018). Baseline Evaluation Report Turkey. Retrieved from https://rm.coe.int/eng-grevio-report-turquie/16808e5283
Gulcur, L. (1999). A study on domestic violence and sexual abuse in Ankara, Turkey. Women for Women’s Human Rights. Retrieved from https://kadinininsanhaklari.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sexual-abuse-ankara-99.pdf
Gulesci, S., Meyersson, E., & Trommlerová, S. K. (2020). The effect of compulsory schooling expansion on mothers’ attitudes toward domestic violence in Turkey. The World Bank Economic Review, 34(2), 464–484.
Guvenc, G., Akyuz, A., & Cesario, S. K. (2014). Intimate partner violence against women in Turkey: A synthesis of the literature. Journal of Family Violence, 29(3), 333–341.
Institute of Population Studies, Hacettepe University. (2009). Domestic violence against women in Turkey. Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies, T.R. Prime Ministry, Directorate General on the Status of Women. Retrieved from http://www.hips.hacettepe.edu.tr/siddet2008/rapor/2008-TDVAW_Main_Report.pdf
Institute of Population Studies, Hacettepe University. (2015). Domestic violence against women in Turkey. Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies, T.R. Ministry of Family and Social Policies. Retrieved from http://www.hips.hacettepe.edu.tr/KKSA-TRAnaRaporKitap26Mart.pdf
Kadin Dayanisma Vakfi. (2020). Pandemi ve siddet kiskancinda kadin mucadelesi deneyimleri. Kadin Dayanisma Vakfi. Retrieved from https://www.kadindayanismavakfi.org.tr/medya/media/24_1601291226 (in Turkish).
Kagitcibasi, C., & Ataca, B. (2005). Value of children and family change: A three-decade portrait from Turkey. Applied Psychology, 54(3), 317–337.
Kalmuss, D. S., & Straus, M. A. (1982). Wife’s marital dependency and wife abuse. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 44(2), 277–286.
Kandiyoti, D. A. (1987). Emancipated but unliberated? Reflections on the Turkish case. Feminist Studies, 13(2), 317–338.
Kandiyoti, D. (1988). Bargaining with patriarchy. Gender and Society, 2(3), 274–290.
Kayaoglu, A. (2020). Do relative status of women and marriage characteristics matter for the intimate partner violence? Ekonomi-tek, 9(3), 161–185.
Kina, F. B. (2020). Toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı siddetin temelleri üzerine [On the foundations of gender-based violence]. Anasay, 4(12), 149–164. (in Turkish).
Kimmel, M. (1994). Masculinity as homophobia. In H. Brod & M. Kaufman (Eds.), Theorizing masculinities. SAGE.
Kocacik, F., Kutlar, A., & Erselcan, F. (2007). Domestic violence against women: A field study in Turkey. The Social Science Journal, 44(4), 698–720.
Leslie, E., & Wilson, R. (2020). Sheltering in place and domestic violence: Evidence from calls for service during COVID-19. Journal of Public Economics, 189, 104241.
Mayda, A. S., & Akkus, D. (2005). Domestic violence against 116 Turkish housewives: A field study. Women & Health, 40(3), 95–108.
McCloskey, L. A., & Lichter, E. L. (2003). The contribution of marital violence to adolescent aggression across different relationships. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18(4), 390–412.
McKernan, B. (2020). Murder in Turkey sparks outrage over rising violence against women. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/23/turkey-outrage-rising-violence-against-women.
Macmillan, R., & Gartner, R. (1999). When she brings home the bacon: Labor-force participation and the risk of spousal violence against women. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61(4), 947–958.
Mechanic, M. B., Weaver, T. L., & Resick, P. A. (2008). Mental health consequences of intimate partner abuse: A multidimensional assessment of four different forms of abuse. Violence Against Women, 14(6), 634–654.
Messner, M. (1990). Men studying masculinity. Sociology of Sport Journal, 7, 136–153.
Cati, M. (2020). Koronavirus salgini suresince kadina yonelik siddetle mucadele izleme raporu. Mor Cati Kadin Siginma Vakfi. Retrieved from https://morcati.org.tr/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/koranavirus-salgini-suresince-kys-rapor.pdf (in Turkish).
OECD. (2019). Violence against women, in society at a glance 2019. OECD. Retrieved from https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/society-at-a-glance-2019_008fcef3-en
Official Gazette (Resmi Gazete). (2016). Siddet onleme ve izleme merkezleri hakkinda yonetmelik. Retrieved from https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2016/03/20160317-8.html (in Turkish)
Ruiz-Pérez, I., Plazaola-Castaño, J., & Del Río-Lozano, M. (2007). Physical health consequences of intimate partner violence in Spanish women. European Journal of Public Health, 17(5), 437–443.
Sahin, N. H., Timur, S., Ergin, A. B., Taspinar, A., Balkaya, N. A., & Cubukcu, S. (2010). Childhood trauma, type of marriage and self-esteem as correlates of domestic violence in married women in Turkey. Journal of Family Violence, 25(7), 661–668.
Sancar, S. (2008). Erkeklik: Imkansiz iktidar [Masculinity: The impossible power]. Istanbul: Metis Yayinlari (in Turkish).
Scheffer Lindgren, M., & Renck, B. (2008). ‘It is still so deep-seated, the fear’: Psychological stress reactions as consequences of intimate partner violence. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 15(3), 219–228.
Sedziafa, A. P., Tenkorang, E. Y., & Owusu, A. Y. (2016). “... He always slaps me on my ears”: The health consequences of intimate partner violence among a group of patrilineal women in Ghana. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 18(12), 1379–1392.
Silverman, J. G., Decker, M. R., Reed, E., & Raj, A. (2006). Intimate partner violence victimization prior to and during pregnancy among women residing in 26 US: Associations with maternal and neonatal health. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 195(1), 140–148.
Somville, V. (2019). Having a daughter reduces male violence against a partner. NHH Department of Economics Discussion Paper, 24, 1–26.
Sosyo Politik Saha Arastirmalari Merkezi. (2020). COVID-19 karanti̇nasindan kadinin etki̇leni̇mi̇ i̇le kadin ve cocuga yoneli̇k si̇ddete i̇li̇ski̇n Turki̇ye arastirma raporu. Retrieved from https://sahamerkezi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/kadın-covid-ek.pdf (in Turkish).
Tastan, C., & Kucuker Yildiz, A. (2019). Kadina karsi şiddetle mücadele: Hukuk, deneyimler ve aktorler. Polis Akademisi Yayinlari. (in Turkish).
TBMM. (2011). Kadina ve aile bireylerine yonelik siddet inceleme raporu. Retrieved from https://www.tbmm.gov.tr/komisyon/insanhaklari/docs/2012/raporlar/29_05_2012.pdf (in Turkish).
The Guardian. (2020). Lockdowns around the world bring rise in domestic violence. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/mar/28/lockdowns-world-rise-domestic-violence
Tokuc, B., Ekuklu, G., & Avcioglu, S. (2010). Domestic violence against married women in Edirne. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25(5), 832–847.
UN WOMEN. (2016). The economic costs of violence against women. Retrieved from https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2016/9/speech-by-lakshmi-puri-on-economic-costs-of-violence-against-women
UN WOMEN. (2020). COVID-19 and ending violence against women and girls. Retrieved from https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/library/publications/2020/issue-brief-covid-19-and-ending-violence-against-women-and-girls-en.pdf?la=en&vs=5006
UNDP. (2020). Gender based violence and COVID-19. United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved from https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/womens-empowerment/gender-based-violence-and-covid-19.html.
Wanqing, Z. (2020). Domestic violence cases surge during COVID-19 epidemic. Sixth Tone. Retrieved from https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1005253/domestic-violence-cases-surge-during-covid-19-epidemic
Warner, R. L. (1991). Does the sex of your children matter? Support for feminism among women and men in the United States and Canada. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 53(4), 1051–1056.
Warner, R. L., & Steel, B. S. (1999). Child rearing as a mechanism for social change: The relationship of child gender to parents’ commitment to gender equity. Gender & Society, 13(4), 503–517.
Washington, E. L. (2008). Female socialization: How daughters affect their legislator fathers’ voting on women’s issues. American Economic Review, 98(1), 311–332.
We Will End Femicide Platform. (2020). Mayis 2020 basvuru karsilama raporu. Retrieved from http://kadincinayetlerinidurduracagiz.net/aciklamalar/2918/mayis-2020-basvuru-karsilama-raporu (in Turkish).
WHO. (2013). Global and regional estimates of violence against women: Prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence. World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241564625
WHO. (2020). COVID-19 and violence against women. What the health sector/system can do. World Health Organizations. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331699/WHO-SRH-20.04-eng.pdf.
Yanikkerem, E., Karadas, G., Adiguzel, B., & Sevil, U. (2006). Domestic violence during pregnancy in Turkey and responsibility of prenatal healthcare providers. American Journal of Perinatology, 16(02), 093–104.
Yuksel-Kaptanoglu, I., Turkyilmaz, A. S., & Heise, L. (2012). What puts women at risk of violence from their husbands? Findings from a large, nationally representative survey in Turkey. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 27(14), 2743–2769.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Aydinbakar, A., Akcapar, S.K., Alpaslan, B. (2022). The Effect of a First-Born Child’s Gender on Domestic Violence against Women: Evidence from Turkey. In: Baikady, R., Sajid, S., Przeperski, J., Nadesan, V., Rezaul, I., Gao, J. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68127-2_222-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68127-2_222-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-68127-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-68127-2
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Social SciencesReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences