Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday announced financial incentives aimed at boosting birth rates while simultaneously targeting the LGBTQ+ community, which he characterized as a threat to the traditional family structure, as he launched what his government calls Turkey’s “Year of the Family.”

In front of an audience at the presidential palace in Ankara, Erdoğan announced a series of measures as part of the “Family and Youth Fund” to counteract Turkey’s declining population growth.

These include interest-free loans of 150,000 Turkish lira ($4,200) for first marriages with a grace period of two years and a 48-month repayment period. He also unveiled new childbirth support packages: a one-time payment of 5,000 lira ($140) for the first child, 1,500 lira ($42) per month for the second and 5,000 lira ($140) per month for the third and each subsequent child.

Erdoğan emphasized the urgency of reversing the population trend, pointing out that Turkey’s annual population growth rate dropped from 2.53 percent in 2015 to 0.23 percent in 2024.

“If we do not take the necessary measures, the problem will reach irreparable proportions,” he warned, citing delayed marriages, rising divorce rates and an aging population as additional problems.

Attacks on LGBTQ+

In his speech Erdoğan accused “global neoliberal cultural trends” and digital media of promoting “gender-neutralizing policies” and pushing the LGBTQ+ agenda, which he described as a foreign conspiracy against traditional family values.

“The goal of this policy, in which LGBTQ+ movements are used as a battering ram, is the sanctity of the family,” Erdoğan said.

The LGBTQ+ community, which is increasingly marginalized in Turkey, has been a focus of Erdoğan’s rhetoric. Pride parades have been banned since 2015, and state-sponsored anti-LGBTQ+ rallies have increased. The president’s remarks echoed themes from the government’s Friday sermons, distributed by the Religious Affairs Directorate, which labeled LGBTQ+ movements as attempts to “erase the natural essence of men and women.”

Criticism from women’s groups

Erdoğan’s announcement was met with harsh criticism from women’s organizations, which accused the government of limiting women to domestic roles and neglecting systemic problems such as domestic violence and economic inequality.

The Turkish Federation of Women’s Associations highlighted the contrast between the 16.67 billion liras earmarked for “protecting and strengthening families” and the 5.94 billion liras for women’s empowerment, calling the discrepancy an expression of misplaced priorities.

Federation President Canan Güllü pointed out that most femicides in Turkey occur within families and argued that the government’s initiatives ignore pressing issues such as poverty and domestic violence.

Erdoğan also announced plans for housing support, counseling services and flexible work models to help women balance work and domestic responsibilities. Free or low-cost childcare services and medical support for families wanting to have children are also part of the initiative.