The Impact of Islam on Child-Rearing Values in Turkey

Abstract

The Impact of Islam on Child-Rearing Values in Turkey Ramazan Aydogdu, MA; Muhammed Yildiz, MA Abstract The connection between child rearing values and religion is examined by using data from the World Values Survey (WVS) Wave 6, Turkey 2011 (n = 1605). This relationship has been studied in the United States and other western Christian societies with regard to the importance given to autonomy (thinking independently) versus heteronomy (being obedient to authority) in children. Previous studies have found evidence that high level of religiosity is associated with a stronger level of heteronomy values whereas low level of religiosity is associated with a stronger level of autonomy values. As for Turkey, where Islam is massively dominant, results indicate that this association is no different than other Western and non-Muslim society. Self-reported religiosity, importance given to religion, and high level of mosque attendance are inversely correlated with autonomy values, namely independence and imagination. On the other hand, religious people are more likely to consider heteronomy values like obedience and respect as important child qualities in their children. Moreover, the relationships between religious predictors and child-rearing traits are robust across education levels and household income. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jisc.v4n2a4