What is Traditional Family

This chapter investigates the influences of rural aging on traditional agricultural production in rural areas in Turkey concerning the traditional family as a social structure of accumulation. Traditional agricultural production in Turkey, which is generally characterized by subsistence farming, relies mostly on the unpaid family worker for survival. The influences of migration tendency of younger family members to urban areas and aging which becomes a physical challenge to remaining family members on traditional family seem to be prevalently studied and argued in the literature. As a new variable, this research focuses on the influences of a specific population, who recently returns to their rural origins from urban areas after retirement. It is found in this research that reverse migration does not only contribute to the increase of elderly population rates in rural settlements and thus rural aging; it also has direct impacts both on agricultural production and traditional family structures.