The purpose of this study is to examine married women’s perception of family systems. Research data is gathered from 21 married women by interview method. Descriptive content analysis of gathered qualitative data is carried out in 4 themes (duties, collaboration and support; intra-family interaction; balance, rules and roles; nuclear family and upper system). Summary of research findings are:
• According to the women, there is usually a traditional division of labor in the family.
Economic needs of family are carried out by father; household chores and child care are carried out by the mother.
• Family members perceived the development of the children when said supporting a personal development and effort is spend for children’s education and social development. It is determined that sex discrimination is not done, and also it is not expecting to undertaking traditional roles ‘housework and caring of sibling’ from girls.
• According to the women for spousal relations ‘love, respect, trust, patience, sacrifice, communication, forgiveness and nuclear family’ are key concepts. Moreover, marriage of women who feels they have their dream marriage and married by meeting/dating have more satisfactory spousal relationship and maturation of their spousal relation increases in years.
• It is understood that family members prefer conversation on weekdays and after-dinners while they prefer interaction with nuclear family and relatives on weekends and holidays as common leisure activities.
• It is found that the balance of the family impaired due to factors related to the nuclear family members such as work-place changes, the children start university, retirement, illness and family members are engaging for the rebalancing the family.
• According to the women, traditional values are important determinants of the rules and roles in the families whereas there is a family structure which is flexible and open to change.
• It is determined that according to women, the interaction of nuclear family with extended family, relatives, neighbors, and colleagues is intense and they enjoy with this interaction. But their concern with macro system (especially the agenda of country and the word) is limited.
In general, it is found that married women are adopted by the values of the traditional Turkish family structure. However, other remarkable finding in four themes is with increasing education level women perceive family structure differently and this affects their family systems.