SOCIETAL FACTORS EFFECTIVE ON WOMEN'S EDUCATION IN TURKEY

Purpose of this study is to overview societal factors affecting the women’s education status in Turkey in respect of societal change by the help of an econometric model and according to structural-functional point of view from the year 1923 up to date – in other words – as of the planned development and neo-liberal periods. Socio-economic oriented development studies and efforts made within the period we called as the “planned period” and “neo-liberal period” up to date since 1923 – date of foundation of the Republic resulted in considerable changes on the societal structure and particularly on the family and the women. Inflation increase based on economic structure and domestic migration and particularly patriarchal societal structure based on industrialization and urbanization have been effective on the women and the women’s education. Accordingly, it was noted that this period has been the most effective variable-planned development period on model basis on the women’s education and caused an increase of 6% in the women’s education level. However, as for the liberal period put into effect as an alternative for the planned development plan as of 1980, there was no considerable effect on the women’s education level in Turkey. According to structural-functional model, particularly acceptance of Latin Alphabet in the Republic period and increase of the education opportunities in the planned period directly created positive effect on the women’s education; in the liberal period, particularly the higher inflation rate and higher dependency ratio considerably affected the women’s education. As a result, societal factors have important effect on the women's education.