Türkiye'de Tek Anne Olarak Ebeveynlik Deneyimleri: Nitel Bir Araştırma

Öz

Amaç: Bu çalışma, feminist sosyal hizmet perspektifinden, Türkiye'deki neoliberal-ataerkil refah bağlamında bekar annelerin görünmez bakım işleri, cinsiyete dayalı sorumluluklar ve duygusal tükenmişlikle nasıl başa çıktıklarını araştırmayı amaçlamıştır. Yöntem: Nitel bir araştırma tasarımı kullanılmıştır. Türkiye'nin bir büyükşehirinde yaşayan 14 bekar anne ile derinlemesine, yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Katılımcılar, kadın destek ağları ve toplum örgütleri aracılığıyla amaçlı örnekleme yoluyla seçilmiştir. Görüşmeler ses kaydı alınmış, kelimesi kelimesine yazıya dökülmüş ve NVivo yazılımı ile içerik analizi kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. 14 görüşmeden sonra veri doygunluğu sağlanmıştır. Bulgular: Üç genel tema belirlendi: (1) Annelik bir anlam kaynağı olarak, (2) Cinsiyete dayalı sorumluluklar ve yapısal yükler ve (3) Tükenmişlik ve duygusal erozyon. Katılımcılar, anneliği duygusal güç ve anlamın temel kaynağı olarak tanımlarken, aynı zamanda yoğun ekonomik zorluklar, zaman yoksulluğu ve sosyal izolasyon yaşadıklarını belirttiler. Tek başına bakım yükü, algılanan "babanın yokluğunu" telafi etme çabaları ve sınırlı kurumsal destek, psikolojik ve fiziksel yorgunluğa, yetersizlik duygusuna ve geleceğe ilişkin kaygıya katkıda bulunmuştur. Sonuç: Türkiye'de tek başına annelik, bakımı özelleştiren ve kadınların ücretsiz emeğini yoğunlaştıran kesişen neoliberal ve ataerkil yapılar tarafından şekillenmektedir. Annelik duygusal anlam ve dayanıklılık sağlasa da, bu kaynaklar yapısal kırılganlıkları dengelemek için yetersizdir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Tek Ebeveynli annelik
• Feminist sosyal hizmet
• Görünmez bakım emeği;
• Tükenmişlik

Parenting Experiences as a Single Mother in Türkiye: A Qualitative Study

Öz

Objective: This study aimed to explore how single mothers navigate invisible care labour, gendered responsibilities, and emotional exhaustion within a neoliberal–patriarchal welfare context in Türkiye, from a feminist social work perspective. Method: A qualitative study design was employed. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 single mothers living in a metropolitan city in Türkiye. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling via women’s support networks and community organizations. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using content analysis with NVivo software. Data saturation was achieved after 14 interviews. Results: Three overarching themes were identified: (1) Motherhood as a Source of Meaning, (2) Gendered Responsibilities and Structural Burdens, and (3) Burnout and Emotional Erosion. Participants described motherhood as a key source of emotional strength and meaning, while simultaneously experiencing intensified economic hardship, time poverty, and social isolation. The burden of sole caregiving, efforts to compensate for the perceived “absence of a father,” and limited institutional support contributed to psychological and physical exhaustion, feelings of inadequacy, and future-related anxiety. Conclusion: Single motherhood in Türkiye is shaped by intersecting neoliberal and patriarchal structures that privatize care and intensify women’s unpaid labour. Although motherhood provides emotional meaning and resilience, these resources are insufficient to counterbalance structural vulnerabilities.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Single motherhood
• Feminist social work
• Invisible care labour
• Burnout

Kaynakça

1. Baker RS, O’Connell HA (2022) Structural racism, family structure, and Black-white inequality: the differential impact of the legacy of slavery on poverty among single mother and married parent households. J Marriage Fam, 84:1341-1365.
2. Buğra A, Keyder Ç (2006) The Turkish welfare regime in transformation. J Eur Soc Policy, 16:211-228.
3. Chavda K, Nisarga V (2023) Single parenting: impact on child's development. Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 19:14-20.
4. Cheung H (2023) Re-defining stigmatization: intersectional stigma of single mothers in Thailand. J Fam Stud, 29:1222-1248.
5. Clark S, McGrane A, Boyle N, Joksimovic N, Burke L, Rock N et al. (2021) You're a teacher, you're a mother, you're a worker: gender inequality during COVID-19 in Ireland. Gend Work Organ, 28:1352-1362.
6. Connelly LM (2016) Trustworthiness in qualitative research. Medsurg Nurs, 25:435-437.
7. De Guzman Natividad A, Mateo A (2024) Exploring the work-life balance of single parents and its impact on life satisfaction: the interactive roles of social support and demographic factors. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, 6:24189.
8. Dean L, Churchill B, Ruppanner L (2022) The mental load: building a deeper theoretical understanding of how cognitive and emotional labor overload women and mothers. Community Work Fam, 25:13-29.

9. Dharani M, Balamurugan J (2024) The financial hardships of single mothers: a review of two decades. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 7:e2024179.
10. Fraser N (2016) Contradictions of capital and care. New Left Rev, 100:99-117.
11. Guest G, Bunce A, Johnson L (2006) How many interviews are enough? an experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18:59-82.
12. Hays S (1996) The Cultural Contradictions Of Motherhood. New Haven, Yale University Press.
13. Hennink M, Kaiser BN (2022) Sample sizes for saturation in qualitative research: a systematic review of empirical tests. Soc Sci Med, 292:114523.
14. İlkkaracan İ, Kim K, Kaya T (2015) The impact of public investment in social care services on employment, gender equality, and poverty: the Turkish case. Research Project Report. Istanbul, Istanbul Technical University Women’s Studies Center in Science, Engineering and Technology and Levy Economics Institute.
15. Kim GE, Kim EJ (2020) Factors affecting the quality of life of single mothers compared to married mothers. BMC Psychiatry, 20:169.
16. Lynch K (2007) Love labour as a distinct and non-commodifiable form of care labour. Sociol Rev, 55:550-570.
17. Rahman HU, Gul R, Din FU, Ahmad S, Qureshi TN (2025) The role of social support in mitigating mental health challenges of divorced women and their children. The Critical Review of Social Sciences Studies, 3:2114-2125.
18. Schmidt EM, Décieux F, Zartler U, Schnor C (2023) What makes a good mother? two decades of research reflecting social norms of motherhood. J Fam Theory Rev, 15:57-77.
19. Sihag A (2025) Status and well-being of single mothers: challenges and psychological distress. In: Empowering Indian Women Through Resilience: Recent Developments And Future Perspective. Singapore, Springer Nature, 237-257.
20. Song SM, Park B, Lee WK, Park NS, Kim MN (2022) Examining the relationship between social support, parenting stress, and depression in South Korean single mothers. J Child Fam Stud, 31:1232-1245.
21. Sunikka-Blank M, Galvin R (2021) Single parents in cold homes in Europe: how intersecting personal and national characteristics drive up the numbers of these vulnerable households. Energy Policy, 150:112134.
22. Tabassum N, Nayak BS (2021) Gender stereotypes and their impact on women's career progressions from a managerial perspective. IIM Kozhikode Society and Management Review, 10:192-208.
23. Tarar A, Asghar H, Ijaz M, Tarar M (2021) Psychological well-being and adjustment of single parents: psycho-social and economic challenges. Pak Armed Forces Med J, 71:1-6.
24. Travis M (2023) A Battle Fought Alone: The Stigmatization Of Single Mothers. Phylum.
25. Tronto JC (2013) Caring Democracy: Markets, Equality, And Justice. New York, New York University Press.
26. TÜİK (2023) Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu İstatistiklerle Aile 2023. https://data.tuik.gov.tr (Accessed 02.02.2025).
27. Ushie MA, Egidi SA, Ushie CA, Enamhe DC (2021) Single parenting and spousal mental health: a demographic approach. Journal of Environmental and Tourism Education, 4:26-32.
28. Ware LN (2024) Exploring experiences of African American single mothers raised with permissive and authoritative parenting styles (Doctoral dissertation). Minneapolis, Capella University.
29. Zagel H, Van Lancker W (2022) Family policies' long-term effects on poverty: a comparative analysis of single and partnered mothers. J Eur Soc Policy, 32:166-181.
30. Zakaria SM, Abdullah N, Md Akhir N, Amin AS, Mohd Shukry ANA, Abdul Rashid MR et al. (2022) Perceptions of quality of life during the pandemic: a case study on B40 single mothers. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 19:12219.
31. Zimmer-Gembeck MJ, Rudolph J, Kerin J, Bohadana-Brown G (2022) Parent emotional regulation: a meta-analytic review of its association with parenting and child adjustment. Int J Behav Dev, 46:63-82.