Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu gave a press briefing in Ankara on Jan. 8 announcing a new plan in which the government will give 300 Turkish Liras (around $130) for a couple’s first child, 400 liras (around $174) for the second, and 600 liras (around $260) for the third.
The government has unveiled a new incentive program to encourage working women to have more children, in a bid to avoid the decline of the Turkish population.
“Mothers [working in public office] will be able to continue to be promoted in their positions even in their unpaid leave after birth. We will also make arrangements for part-time work for mothers. After the end of maternity leave, mothers with one child will have the right to work part-time for two months, mothers with two children for four months, and mothers with three or more children for six months. They will receive full wages while working part-time,” Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said at a press conference on Jan. 8.
Keeping Turkey’s population young as the source of economic productivity and power is also a strategic target, the prime minister said, underlining that the government wanted to avoid problems associated with an aging population.
