Abstract:

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the marital status of women and violence against women in the family. This relationship is assessed using the data from Survey of Domestic Violence against Women in Turkey carried out by Turkish Statistical Institute in 2014. The survey employed a multistage sampling frame to obtain a national probability sample of women between the ages of 15 and 59-years-old. Women from 15072 households were interviewed with a standardized questionnaire. Among the findings of this study, the most remarkable one is that the relationship between marital status and violence in Turkey varies by the type of violence. Married women are more likely to be exposed to physical violence than single women. The rate of emotional violence committed against women by their family members were higher among divorced women compared to married women. Additionally, divorced or separated women are exposed to economic violence given that their access to economic resources were either limited or prevented by their husbands. When all types of violence were taken into account, it is observed that divorced or separated women have the highest representation among women who are exposed to violence.

Keywords: