Ruling AK Party’s bold strategies to handle birth rate crisis

Türkiye’s birth rate has dropped significantly from 7 in 1965 to 1.51 in 2023, falling below the OECD average for the first time. In response, the AK Party has prioritized increasing the birth rate as a primary goal.

During a recent 3-hour central executive committee meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ayse Kesir, the President of the AK Party Women’s Branch, presented Türkiye’s population dynamics and fertility map.

The discussion highlighted that one-time financial incentives have a limited impact on decisions to have children. Instead, public-supported childcare services have yielded the best results globally.

The Women’s Branch proposed several measures to boost the birth rate:

• IVF state support: Extend the age limit for state-supported IVF treatment from 40 to 45.
• Mother-friendly hospitals: Expand initiatives like ‘mother-friendly hospitals’ and make births in state hospitals more attractive by reducing the economic and psychological burdens of childbirth.
• Flexible work rights: Grant new mothers the right to part-time work until their children start primary school.
• Financial support: Provide families with three or more children with childcare support equivalent to the minimum wage in a phased manner. Offer two years of diaper and formula assistance for newborns.
• Tax reductions: Introduce phased tax reductions and advantages for families with two or more children, particularly for vehicle and housing purchases.
• Family and youth fund: Expand the scope of the Family and Youth Fund to include child incentives.
• Updated birth allowance: Increase the birth allowance from ₺300 for the first child, ₺400 for the second, and ₺600 for the third and subsequent children.

These comprehensive measures aim to create a supportive environment for families, encouraging higher birth rates and addressing Türkiye’s demographic challenges.