Caught in the crossfire: middle-class working mothers’ quest for quality education in Türkiye

Authors

  • Gamze Hakverdi Linköping University, Child Studies Master’s Program, Linköping, Sweden
  • Derya Kurtuluş Ankara University, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Ankara, Türkiye

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7458/SPP202510836179

Keywords:

Türkiye, education, middle-class, mothers

Abstract

This study explores the challenges middle-class working mothers face in Türkiye as they seek quality education for their children. In-depth interviews with twenty mothers from Ankara and Istanbul highlight a strong preference for private schooling, driven by parentocratic logic and concerns over the deteriorating quality of public education and ideological shifts in the curriculum. However, this choice demands significant sacrifices amid economic instability, rising inflation, and neoliberal policies. The findings underscore that securing quality education has become a challenge for families, reflecting broader systemic issues.

Author Biography

Derya Kurtuluş, Ankara University, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Ankara, Türkiye

 

 

 

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Published

2025-07-30

Issue

No. 108 (2025)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Gamze Gamze Hakverdi, Derya Kurtuluş

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