The Importance of Social Capital Development and Trust in Single Parent Families: A Study Focused on Single Mothers

Abstract

Social capital is the collection of values enabled by access to resources and opportunities through social relations and thus has a potential protective effect against poverty. Developing social capital at the individual level primarily depends on the feeling of security in close relationships as well as in society at large. This study focuses on single-mother families which make up the majority of single-parent families where poverty is common and examines the trust of women with single-mother status in social groups. The aim of this research is to get an idea about their social capital development potential. The study, whose sample consisted of 668 single mothers from different regions of Turkey and predominantly from low socioeconomic status, determines that the trust level of single mothers towards secondary social groups is higher than their trust level towards primary social groups (such as immediate family, relatives, and friends). The findings show that single mothers have the highest trust in healthcare professionals, and the lowest in their ex-spouses, who are in many cases the fathers of their children; while the level of trust towards their immediate family is well below the trust in the family throughout the society. The results reveal that single mothers living in Turkey do not trust society in general, especially their close social circles, thus their potential to strengthen their social capital is low.

Keywords

• Single parent family
• Single mother family
• Poverty
• Social capital

Tek Ebeveynli Ailelerde Sosyal Sermaye Gelişimi ve Güvenin Önemi: Yalnız Anneler Odaklı Bir Çalışma

Abstract

Sosyal sermaye, sosyal ilişkiler sayesinde kaynak ve fırsatları erişimi mümkün kılan, dolayısıyla bireyleri yoksulluktan koruyucu etki oluşturması beklenen değerler toplamıdır. Bireysel düzeyde sosyal sermayenin geliştirilmesi ise öncelikle, kişilerin kendilerini yakın ilişkilerinde ve üyesi oldukları toplum içinde ‘güven’de hissetmelerine bağlıdır. Tek ebeveynli ailelerin büyük çoğunluğunu oluşturan ve yoksulluk sorununun yaygın görüldüğü yalnız anneli ailelere odaklanan bu çalışmada, yalnız anne statüsündeki kadınların sosyal gruplara duydukları güven incelenmekte; böylelikle sosyal sermaye geliştirme potansiyelleriyle ilgili fikir edinilmesi amaçlanmaktadır. Örneklemini Türkiye’nin farklı şehirlerinde yaşayan ve ağırlıklı olarak düşük sosyoekonomik düzeyden 668 yalnız annenin oluşturduğu araştırma sonucunda yalnız annelerin birincil sosyal gruplara (kök aile, akrabalar, arkadaşlar gibi) yönelik güven düzeylerinin, ikincil sosyal gruplara (sağlık çalışanları, güvenlik güçleri ve sosyal hizmet çalışanları) yönelik güven düzeylerinden düşük olduğu belirlenmiştir. Araştırma bulguları yalnız annelerin en yüksek güveni sağlık çalışanlarına, en düşük güveni ise çocuklarının babası olan eski eşlerine duyduklarını; kök ailelerine yönelik güven düzeylerinin ise toplumun genelinde aileye duyulan güvenin altında kaldığını göstermektedir. Bu sonuçlar Türkiye’deki yalnız annelerin yakın sosyal çevrelerine ve toplumun geneline yönelik güven düzeylerinin ve dolayısıyla sosyal sermayelerini güçlendirme potansiyellerinin düşük olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır.  

Keywords

• Tek ebeveynli aile
• Yalnız anneli aile
• Yoksulluk
• Sosyal sermaye
• Single parent family
• Single mother family
• Poverty
• Social capital

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