The construction of gender roles and motherhood: the case of ''the family education program for ages 0-18''

Abstract

This study is an attempt to understand family education policies in Turkey. By analyzing one of the popular family education programs implemented nationwide, “The Family Education Program for Ages 0-18”, the construction of motherhood ideology and the sexual division of roles in the family are questioned. The content analysis method is utilized in the study. The family letters that are distributed to the families as the learning materials during the education program are selected as the data of the study. Regarding the attempt to understand family education policies, the first aim of the study is to analyze the definition of the family in the education program. The question of how the term “family” is defined in the documents of the program is asked in order to examine the characteristics of the family highlighted in the program. Secondly, so as to understand the sexual division of roles in the family, the roles attributed to the family members in the program are questioned, and the roles and responsibilities of fathers, mothers and the children are studied. Lastly, to distinguish the strategic position of women in shaping families, the ideology of motherhood emphasized in the program is analyzed. To conclude, the content analysis of “The Family Education Program for Ages 0-18” reveals that the sexual division of roles in the family and the ideology of motherhood that restricts women‟s mobility and burdens them with the responsibility of nurturing and caring are reproduced in the education program. In that sense, it is concluded that “The Family Education Program for Ages 0-18” serves for the continuation of patriarchal relations that strengthen women‟s subordination in the family. Lastly, it is highlighted that whilst the “family” as an institution is aimed to be supported and protected by the government‟s education policies, the rights of individuals as women and men in terms of gender equality are ignored.