1. Turkish Culture, Youth and Sexuality
Fidan Korkut Owen, PhD
13. October, 2010

3. Almost 30% of population of Turkey is between 10- 24 age !!!
Because of media and computer, sexual behaviors are getting more common among them in last 10 year
(Gökengin et al. 2003).

4. In Turkish Culture Sexuality is a tabu.. You should not talk about it
You should not desire to have sex
You should not have sexual relationship before marriage
Virginity is very important
Sexual function is a symbol of the power of the men
(Erman, 2002; İnsan Kaynağını Geliştirme Vakfı,1995).

5. Especially for females this tabu is a source of social pressure
Males have more privilege
(Duyan, 2004; İnanç, 2003; Nelson, 1997; Özkan, 1994; Özvarış ve Akın, 1998).

6. Among male university students premarital sexual relationship is more common than among female university students
In small places religious beliefs are stronger

7. University students are different
Some of them sexually active and under risk because they do not know well about sexual health

8. Men have to be active to propose, women have to wait
Men have to be active to propose, women have to wait.. But it is changing
Being virgin is still very important for women and men.. Men want to get married with a virgin..
When education level is higher this attitute is getting lower

9. SOME RESEARCH STUDIES RESULTS

10. 400 male, university students Virginity is important
Male Students' Opinions About Sexual Experience and Social Taboos Related To Sexuality
400 male, university students
Virginity is important
31 % has active sexual life
They learned sexual information mostly from their friends
Family and school are not basic
(Civil and Yıldız, 2010).

11. 392 male tenth grade students
Sexual Behavior and Sources of Information about Sex among Male Adolescents: An 8-Year Follow-up
392 male tenth grade students
There was a significant increase in intercourse and flirting behavior from 1996 to 2004
Family and pornographic films as their sources of information about sex increased fold and 2.9-fold, respectively.
Age mean 16, engaging in sexual intercourse
(Çetin et. al., 2007)

12. Sexual attitudes and behaviors of high school students
About 900
The rates of masturbation and sexual intercourse and median partner numbers in males were higher than females.
On the other hand, the proportions of marking ‘love’ as the motivational factor for the first sexual intercourse, experiencing the first sexual intercourse with a ‘special person’ and
having negative feelings after the first sex among females were higher than males.
(Aras, et. Al. 2005)

13. Sexual attitudes and behaviors of college students
410 university students, 185 female; 225 male,
Less than half them have a girl/boy friend
1/2 because of lack of confidence and shyness they do not have
1/5 because of class
1/6 because of family and religious values
(Kılıç et.al., 2005)

14. Sexual information from friends 35 %
From media 35 %
Family 7.6 %
If they have a sexual problem
52 % friends!!!,
6 % counselors,
8 % family
(Kılıç et.al., 2005)

15. 82 % say no premarital relationship
77 % want to take class
82 % say no premarital relationship
83 % say virginity is very important
84 % because of family and relious values they avoid sexual relationship,
10% because of disease,
6 % fear of pregnancy
(Kılıç et.al., 2005)

16. The Knowledge Status of Adolescents about HIV/AIDS and Their Social Prejudices about the Disease
164 students, aged (49% female, 51% male)
The most frequent answer regarding the route of transmission was indicated as "transmission from mother to infant" (75%).
(Bulduk et al 2006)

17. The Knowledge Status of Adolescents about HIV/AIDS and Their Social Prejudices about the Disease
Girls mostly indicated that "one cannot be protected from AIDS"
Boys indicated that they "do not want to work in the same place with someone who has AIDS".
(Bulduk et al 2006)

18. Knowledge on sexual transmitted diseases (STD) college students
283 faculty of education students (205 female, 78 male).
The first sexual experience mean age of 21 for female and 19 for male
95,4% of student have insufficiency knowledge about STD
91,9 % get informed about STD by newspaper and journals,
89,0% by radio and television,
74,9 % by school and teacher,
(Koç and Saglam, 2006)

19. Safer sex 512 university students in Istanbul
Effectiveness of condom use against AIDS transmission was not perceived high enough
Offering condom to a partner is not easy.
Abstinence also was not an easy method to use for them
They do not know enough about STD

20. A Private University 105 between 17- 25 years old, 51% female, 49 male
Females are more against premarital relationship
70 % male, 16 % female have sexual relationship
55% got information nonfamily sources

21. An Investigation into the Approaches as to Sexual Lives of Freshmen at ÇOMU Faculty of Education
4.7 % of the girls and 25.3 % of the boys have sexual experience.
99.2 % of them, first sexual experience between 16 -and 19.
14.4 % have a still lasting sexual lives.
62.8 % of them used condom, at first sexual intercourse.
38.2 %of them knew a method to prevent pregnancy

22. Homosexuality
Homosexuality is mainly understood as male homosexuality in Turkey. Female homosexuality is not even recognized..
Historically, Ottoman Emperors and high-ranked officials were known for their sexual preference for young male lovers.
Homosexuality is strictly and explicitly prohibited in Islam .
It is not prohibited in Turkey by law but societal attitudes towards homosexual sexual orientation are mainly negative and this has been exemplified by the attitudes of the Turkish police towards homosexuals (Yuzgun, 1993).
(Eskin et al 2005)

23. 683 women and 579 men (N = 1262) who were Turkish university students
According to the results, almost 10 percent (students who reported same-sex sexual attractions, engaged in same-sex sexual behavior, or those who self identified as homosexual or bisexual) of the young people enrolled in higher education in Turkey reported some form of a same-sex sexual orientation.

24. Teen pregnancy Turkey ‘s young moms… Teen pregnancy rate is 7.9 %.
under 17 age 8.8 %,
under 18 age, 16 %,
19 age %23 are mother or pregnant!!
Teen pregnancy rate is 7.9 %.

25. 15- 19 age group female , 15.2% married
Education level is getting higher then marriage age is getting late.
There are some towns, 1/10 women get married before 15 age.
According to a reseach 83 teen pregnancy, 70 of them are married who are happy to be pregnant.
Among 13 adolescent 9 of them are upseti they are hiding they want abortion
(Fadıloğlu and Yılmaz 1992).

26. Honour killing
Güldünya Tören who was killed in the name of honor by her brothers in February 2004 for having a baby out of wedlock.

27. Her story
Güldünya was living in a small village, in Eastern Anatolian part of Turkey where the conservative way of living is still influential, gets impregnated by her cousin’s husband.
She was sent to Istanbul to escape from her family and severe custom rules. She finds refuge in an Imam’s house (prayer leader) who was from her village and gives birth to a baby boy named Ümit, meaning hope.

28. Then she gave her child out for adoption to a family
Then she gave her child out for adoption to a family. Being pursued in Istanbul by her brothers, she was shot and wounded in the street.
From the hospital’s intensive care unit bed, she pleaded for the police to save her. Unfortunately, her brothers, pretending to be visitors, entered late at night the unguarded hospital and shot her in the head, turning off the life support machine!!!!!!!!

29. Such killing in the name of honor or custom, women
being killed by family relatives to clean the family honor, is a deep-rooted, traditional practice in certain segments of Turkish society.

30. Recently because of new family law, penalities are higher it is getting lower..
Still women get more trouble!!

31. Some other research results
16, 17, and 18 age , for first experiene (for different research)
Female high school students about 2%
Male college students % , female 4-11 % have sexual partner

32. Sexual education Between 5-18 age, it should have be given
Families do not know well
The scope of education programs must be expanded to include the effectiveness of, developing a positive attitude on, and gaining offering skills for safer sex strategies.