Turkish grannies to get state salaries for grandchildren’s care
The Turkish government has drawn up a program of financial support for women who assume the home care of their grandchildren in the age group of 0-3, but not everyone is happy with the program.
ANKARA, Turkey — Child care is the biggest challenge for working mothers, but the Turkish government has found an easy solution: pay grandmothers to look after the children.
Turkish law requires workplaces, both public and private, to provide child care facilities for their employees, but most establishments do not comply with the rules to avoid additional costs. Instead of fulfilling their responsibilities, they prefer to pay fines.
The governing Justice and Development Party has been closely concerned with family affairs. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has led a campaign for Turks to have at least three children, while the government has introduced incentives for marrying early, including while still at university, and gold-coin awards for each newborn baby.
In 2015, the government launched a European Union-funded child care support program in three pilot provinces, under which working women with children ages 0-2 receive 416 euros ($441) per month provided they employ a socially insured nanny. The program, expanded to Ankara and Istanbul provinces in November, aims to boost female employment, both by keeping the mother at work and ensuring the labor rights of nannies. One eligibility condition for the program is that the caretaker is not a grandmother of the child.
