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They Work Harder Now: Postponed Retirement in Village Turkey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2015

Emelie A. Olson
Emelie A. Olson*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Whittier College
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Extract

In accord with a widespread belief that “modernization” brings about improvement in the quality of life, it is also sometimes assumed that in communities undergoing urbanization, industrialization, and mechanization the older generation will enjoy more leisure time than did their own parents. Whether or not this might be true generally, the reverse seems to be true for farm families in two villages in southwestern Turkey.

Thirty years ago, living in one of these villages, I was struck by a pattern that contrasted with my own experiences first as a Midwestern farmgirl and later as an urbanite in the Midwest and California. That is, parents in this village, dubbed Dutluk (Mulberry Orchard), typically enjoyed semi-retirement by the time their oldest son was in his mid-twenties. During this stage of their lives, these middle-aged and older people spent a good deal of their time in civic activities, socializing with friends, playing with the grandchildren, grooming the cows, etc. The older generation was also more likely than the younger one to perform the namaz (ritual prayer) daily. The married son(s) and daughter(s)-in-law did most of the strenuous work, although unmarried sons and daughters also did increasing amounts of work as they matured.

Type
Research Article
Information
New Perspectives on Turkey , Volume 13 , Fall 1995 , pp. 121 - 150
Copyright
Copyright © New Perspectives on Turkey 1995

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