Toplumsal Değişimin Bir Göstergesi Olarak Gençlerin Evliliğe Yönelik Tutumları

A family is the most influenced institution by socio-economic transformations in Turkey. Marriage which is the first stage of establishing a family is also affected by this process. In parallel with the developments in the world, situations such as increasing age of marriage, being single, extramarital sexuality, and alternative partnerships becoming widespread suggest that attitudes towards marriage change. However, this change does not attract enough attention in the discussions around marriage in social sciences. The research is qualitative research that attempts to understand the perceptions of the youth, the most dynamic element of the society, about marriage and marriage ages. It has been carried out on 28 university students whose ages ranged from 20 to 27. In the research carried out with a phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews have been conducted, and the perceptions of young people about ideal marriage age and their attitudes on marriage and family have been investigated. Accordingly, it has been seen that they mostly idealized marriage at the age of 25 and above. The factors that stand out in the ideal age of marriage are gaining economic independence, completing education, not wanting to restrict freedom, maturing, making a career. Although young people tend to delay marriage, it has been observed that they have motivations for marriage. According to the research findings, although young people see marriage as an important part of life, they think that they are not ready for marriage during their age, and tend to delay marriage for a more ideal marriage. Along with economic obstacles, sociological and psychological barriers in the meaning worlds of young people are also effective in delaying marriage.