Research on Permanent Alimony in Turkey. Summary of the report.

The research on permanent alimony in Turkey investigates whether there is a need for a new regulation, problems in implementation and the issue of violence against women in cases with alimony claims. As a result of the findings from the research report, the amendment of the alimony entitlements in the law have been dropped. The research was conducted by the Foundation for Women’s Solidarity in Turkey within the UN Women regional programme on ending violence against women in the Western Balkans and Turkey "Implementing Norms, Changing Minds".

The report presents evidence-based data collected from 140 court cases from various cities in Turkey. The key findings are that average poverty alimony ordered by the courts is 370 TL (consider that the poverty threshold is 2058 TL in October 2019) and more than 50 per cent of men do not pay the alimony ordered by the courts. There is also data showing that the reason why women receive alimony instead of men is due to traditional gender roles, pay gap and lack of access to the labour market, which makes them more economically dependent on their partners.

The report was conducted to contribute with evidence-based data to the rising debate in the media and at the policy level.