Cultural Factors Determining the Communication Between Daughter-in-Law and Mother-in-Law

When the term “family” is heard, a group consisting of father, mother and children comes to mind. However, the experience of the Turkish family is different. Even if they do not share the same household, the Turkish families are closely connected to related families. Apart from being related by bloodline, kinship relations acquired through marriage are also very important in Turkey. In communities where patriarchal rule prevails, being married is a necessity for adult women and men. The meaning of being married for a woman is even more profound. Because, while the social class to which the family belongs to is determined according to the social position of the man, in terms of women marriage means acquiring a new identity. However, the acceptance of a woman as a daughter-in-law in the pedigree group in which she gets included through marriage is related to how well she gets along with her mother-in-law. It is taught to girls in Turkish society that the ideal relationship between the daughter-in-law and the mother-in-law should be like a mother-daughter relationship. On the other hand, it is almost impossible to see in representations or in daily life a daughter-in-law mother-in-law duo who gets on well. This study was conducted in order to reveal the cultural factors that create conflict between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law. The findings of this study with qualitative methods were obtained by in-depth interviews with a total of twelve women who were daughter-in-law and mother-in-law. According to the results of the study, the quality of the communication between daughter-in-law and motherin-law is largely shaped by the attitudes and behaviors of the mother-in-law. In addition, the relationship between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law is directly related to the quality of the relationship between mother and son. The fact that the mother-in-law is financially dependent on the support of her son causes problems. As a result, the social environment in which women are born and raised, economic status, educational status and prejudices affect the quality of the communication between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law