A View of Family Structures of Turkish Immigrant Community in Belgium Under the Light of Clinical Studies

Year 2017, Volume: 3 Issue: 1, 43 - 64, 30.06.2017

Ertuğrul Taş , Zeliha Subaşı

Abstract

Turkish workers have immigrated to
Belgium and other Western European countries, since the 1960s. They took along
their own marriage and family institutions to these countries. The 1960s were
also the period when European countries like Belgium and France started to question
and redefine the marriage and family institutions under the influence of
freedom and equality concepts. As of the 1970s, marriage has no longer been a
prerequisite for establishing a family and having children. Besides, divorce by
mutual consent was accepted at the same period. As a result, different family
models covering post-divorce relationships and second marriages emerged.
Through the legal arrangements done by France, Belgium and other European
countries, well-accepted relations/family models were given an equal status
with formal marriage and family institutions. Illegitimate children were
regarded as equal to legitimate children. Later, gay relations and marriages
were legally accepted while gay couples were granted a right to adopt a child
and establish a family in different European countries. Thus, the marriage and
family institutions of the Turkish immigrants had to be redefined in line with
the civil law and the accepted relationship, marriage and family models of the
country of immigration. According to the newly-emerged marriage practices among
the Turkish immigrant population, new family models appeared. This article
analyzes the marriage and family institutions of the first generation workers
emigrated from Turkey to Belgium, the reforming process of these institutions
as well as new family models under the guidance of clinical and field studies. 

Keywords

Turkish Immigrant Community in Belgium, Family Models, Marriage, Divorce, German Turk Family, Single Parent Family, Partner Selection, Gay Marriage

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