People of Turkish Heritage

“It's like a gamble, anything could happen”: Women navigating safety and agency in online dating in urban Turkey

“…Secondly, in light of the growing emphasis on gender conservatism (Cindoglu & Unal, 2017) and traditional norms on women's dating and premarital relationships in Turkey (Thobaben & Kuguoglu, 2021), many women discussed the risk of stigmatization when using apps, and took precautions to protect their public image and social standing. They expressed concerns over being judged as socially deficient, sexually promiscuous, or morally lacking in case their app use were known, or over being deceived to unknowingly date a married man.…”

“…However, several factors characterize the landscape of online dating for women in the present context. Firstly, it is important to recognize that dating itself is a relatively new form of interaction in Turkey, with women in urban settings having more freedom for in-person dates (Thobaben & Kuguoglu, 2021). In Turkey, women are typically discouraged from premarital romantic and sexual interactions, and the expectation of modesty and virginity from women remains somewhat important (Thobaben & Kuguoglu, 2021).…”

“…Firstly, it is important to recognize that dating itself is a relatively new form of interaction in Turkey, with women in urban settings having more freedom for in-person dates (Thobaben & Kuguoglu, 2021). In Turkey, women are typically discouraged from premarital romantic and sexual interactions, and the expectation of modesty and virginity from women remains somewhat important (Thobaben & Kuguoglu, 2021). Currently, gender conservatism-which tries to regulate women's bodies, sexuality, and morality -is on the rise, despite the adoption of more liberal and egalitarian views by some segments of the society (Cindoglu & Unal, 2017).…”

“…Studies show that women often report being alerted to potential signs of danger and taking precautions to avoid risks in online dating. These precautions include online and offline strategies such as cross-checking the match on other social media platforms, providing as little identifiable personal information as possible, using humor as an emotional coping strategy, connecting with supportive social networks, and controlling the time and place of the in-person meeting (Berkowitz et al, 2021; Castro & Barrada, 2020; Lundquist & Curington, 2019; Sobieraj & Humphreys, 2022; Thompson, 2018).…”