The results of the “World of Men 2024 Research,” conducted by Üsküdar University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (İTBF) and Method Research Company, were announced at a press conference. Turkey’s first comprehensive study on men yielded interesting results regarding cleanliness and hygiene, physical health, psychology, sexual life, and perspectives on marriage and family values!
The “World of Men 2024 Research,” conducted through interviews with 761 men in 7 regions and 22 cities, reveals that 79 percent of married men state they feel ‘happy and secure’. 64 percent of men participating in the research express satisfaction with their sexual life. Regarding marriage and family, 79 percent of participants shared the view that ‘Marriage is sacred,’ and 93 percent agreed that ‘Family is sacred.’
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak:
“In Turkey, values such as family, marriage, and children are sacred. Men do not say ‘Bachelorhood is sultanate’ as commonly thought. Men still want to be family fathers and establish good marriages.”
Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan:
“The cards are being reshuffled in male-female relationships. We’ve gone from the king man to the scolded man… Everyone wants to maintain the advantageous position of the old system. But they also want to position themselves according to the new situation.”
Esengül Berişah, Deputy General Manager of Method Research Company, stated, “It seems that all men agree on stress. We observe that men are stressed in their home and work lives.”
The results of the “World of Men 2024 Research,” conducted by Üsküdar University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (İTBF) and Method Research Company, were shared with the public at a press conference held in the Üsküdar University Central Campus Senate Hall on Wednesday, December 18, 2024.
With the aim of revealing the profile of men in Turkey, the first comprehensive men's research nationwide was carried out under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak, Dean of Üsküdar University İTBF, and Esengül Berişah, Deputy General Manager of Method Research Company.
At the press conference, Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak, Dean of Üsküdar University İTBF, and Esengül Berişah, Deputy General Manager of Method Research Company, each delivered a speech.
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak: “The fundamental role of men has been damaged”
Stating that a series of studies were conducted and the fundamental social role of men was examined, Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak said, “Following the earthquake, from the perspective of social roles, we thought that men were greatly neglected, and that men were the ones who lost their fundamental roles. We observed that the fundamental social role of men, such as bringing bread to their homes and keeping their families safe, was damaged.”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak stated, “In Turkey, values such as family, marriage, and children are sacred. Men do not say ‘Bachelorhood is sultanate’ as commonly thought. Men still want to be family fathers and establish good marriages. The primary reason for their stress is not about themselves but about their inability to fulfill their responsibilities to their families. They are inclined to be happy, not dissatisfied with their situation, but they like to complain. Men are conservative.”
Prof. Dr. Kaynak: “Rehabilitative treatment cannot be applied without understanding men”
Noting that rehabilitative treatment cannot be applied for society without understanding men and knowing their world, Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak said, “There are several problems in the period we are going through. A civilizational transformation is taking place. This creates sociological and psychological pressure on the masses. Turkey has faced very serious problems for many years, such as exposure to terrorism, coups, and economic conditions. We are a society that has been exposed to natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. A large majority of these cause post-traumatic stress disorder. There is also a topic called post-traumatic growth. To grow after trauma, certain strategic decisions must be made, and appropriate tactics developed.”
Does the neglect of men exacerbate women's problems?
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak also stated that the neglect of men in society and the lack of sufficient research are factors that exacerbate women's problems, adding, “We believe that our main problem stems from this.”
Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan: “We've gone from the king man to the scolded man”
Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan, Head of the Sociology Department at Üsküdar University, stated that men are also changing in a changing world and are facing many problems, recalling that men used to feel like kings of their castles in their homes, and said, “Now, when a man comes home, he has to cook and wash dishes, and he is even scolded by his wife for not doing it well. So, we have come from the king man to the scolded man.”
Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan also stated that men are wondering “what is happening to us,” adding, “For years, within the patriarchal order, men were constantly flattered, told 'you are strong, do what you want,' and then suddenly a masculinity crisis emerged. This masculinity crisis exists not only at home but also in the streets and social life. We need to understand men. We need to understand the anger within them. Not sympathy, but empathy is necessary. These factors are behind the increasing tendency towards violence in Turkey and globally in recent years.”
“Cards are being reshuffled in male-female relationships…”
Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan, also noting that men long for the past, said, “The cards are being reshuffled in male-female relationships. Everyone wants to both maintain the advantageous position of the old system. But they also want to position themselves according to the new situation. Women want to be financially and morally secured by men in the old system. But on the other hand, they demand their freedom. Everyone wants the advantages of the old system but does not want to give up their freedoms. This leads to the creation of a certain conflict area.”
Esengül Berişah: “We observe that men are stressed in their home and work lives”
Esengül Berişah, Deputy General Manager of Method Research Company, announced the research results.
Esengül Berişah said, “In the research, the Marmara Region appears more realistic. The education level, awareness, and interpretation of analysis seem more realistic. It is observed that all men agree on the issue of stress. We see that men are stressed in their home and work lives.”
Stating that the same questions will be asked to women in the second phase of the research, Berişah said that a great study would emerge.
761 men from 7 regions and 22 cities participated in the research
The “World of Men 2024 Research,” conducted through interviews with 761 men in 7 regions and 22 cities, revealed interesting results regarding cleanliness and hygiene, physical health, psychology, sexual life, and perspectives on marriage and family values.
In the study, 60 percent of participants were married and 40 percent were single; 32 percent had a high education level, 45 percent had a medium education level, and 23 percent had a low education level.
70% of men found their personal care and hygiene sufficient!
In the section titled ‘Cleanliness and Hygiene,’ to the question ‘What is societies' perception of personal care/hygiene according to Turkish men?’, 49 percent of men found ‘the personal care and hygiene of men in Western societies sufficient,’ while 42 percent found ‘the personal care and hygiene of men in Turkey sufficient.’
27 percent of men were found not to find ‘the personal care and hygiene of men in Eastern societies’ sufficient.
In the research, 70 percent of men found their personal care and hygiene sufficient, stating that they washed their hands an average of 7 times a day, shaved an average of 2 times a week, brushed their teeth an average of 1 time a day, used deodorant an average of 4 times a week, showered an average of 5 times a week, and used perfume an average of 5 times a week.
78% feel healthy…
Of the men participating in the research; 78 percent stated they felt healthy, 11 percent sometimes healthy, and 11 percent did not feel healthy.
When asked about the reasons for feeling healthy, 25 percent responded 'I have no illness,' 21 percent 'I eat healthy,' 21 percent 'I exercise,' and 15 percent 'I don't get sick,' while the primary reason for feeling unhealthy was 'I have an illness' at 51 percent. 24 percent of men stated they had a chronic illness.
In the study, which also examined weekly habits, snack consumption was reported 4.8 times, cigarette use 5.7 packs, and alcohol consumption 2.1 times. 69 percent never drank alcohol, and 51 percent never smoked.
79% of married men feel happy and secure
In the research, which also examined men's feelings at home and work, 81 percent of participants stated they felt love at home and 59 percent at work, while 79 percent said they were happy at home and 59 percent at work, and 85 percent reported feeling secure at home and 67 percent at work.
35 percent of men say ‘I am the head of the household,’ 28 percent ‘My respect at home is high,’ 27 percent ‘We are equal with my spouse,’ and 11 percent ‘No one respects me at home.’
Looking at men's feelings in love; 79 percent of married men reported feeling happy and secure, while 55 percent of single men felt calm, and 48 percent felt strong.
41% of men say, I have respect at work
The employment status of men was also discussed in the research. Accordingly, 70 percent of the participants in the research are only working. The average number of job changes was determined to be 4. Regarding men's roles at work, 41 percent responded ‘I have respect,’ 24 percent ‘I am a manager,’ 15 percent ‘They ask for my opinion,’ and 5 percent ‘Let my presence be known.’
1 out of 2 men defines their role in a romantic relationship as “Mutual love and devotion”…
To the question ‘Which statement best defines your role in a romantic relationship?’, 51 percent of participants responded ‘Mutual love and devotion,’ 16 percent ‘I love more,’ 8 percent ‘habit,’ 6 percent ‘The other person loves more,’ and 3 percent ‘We don’t love each other.’
Men stated they experienced an average of 5 serious relationships throughout their lives
The section of the research titled ‘Sexual life’ also revealed interesting results. In the section concerning men's number of partners to date; men stated that they had been with an average of 7 different partners and experienced 5 serious relationships throughout their lives.
78% of men say marriage is suitable for human nature…
To the question ‘Is marriage suitable for human nature?’, 78 percent of participants responded positively, while to the question ‘Do you agree with polygamy?’, 7 men responded positively.
64% are satisfied with their sexual life. 7% believe they have been cheated on!
Among participants, the rate of those who agreed with the statement “The woman at home is the mother of my children; the woman outside is the person who allows me to continue my sexual life” was determined to be 16 percent.
7 percent of men participating in the research believe they have been cheated on. Again, 64 percent of men express satisfaction with their sexual life.
Looking at the participants' marriage types, 36 percent responded ‘I am not married,’ 32 percent ‘We met, agreed, and families approved,’ 23 percent ‘Arranged marriage,’ 5 percent ‘I married by my own will, by eloping,’ and 4 percent ‘We met, agreed, and married despite our families not wanting us to.’
Some of the participants' thoughts on marriage are also interesting. They are as follows: 23 percent ‘I think it is necessary,’ 20 percent ‘It is beautiful,’ 11 percent ‘I think it brings happiness.’
93% of participants say ‘Family is sacred’
Regarding marriage and family, 79 percent of participants shared the view that ‘Marriage is sacred,’ and 93 percent agreed that ‘Family is sacred.’
30 percent believe ‘Couples can live together even without marriage,’ 17 percent ‘Children can be had out of wedlock,’ and 6 percent ‘Individuals of the same sex can marry.’
29 percent of participants expressed the view that ‘Marriage can only be with an imam's marriage,’ and 26 percent said ‘Children can only be had with an imam's marriage.’