Caught in the crossfire: middle-class working mothers’ quest for quality education in Türkiye

This study explores the challenges middle-class working mothers face in Türkiye as they seek quality education for their children. In-depth interviews with twenty mothers from Ankara and Istanbul highlight a strong preference for private schooling, driven by parentocratic logic and concerns over the deteriorating quality of public education and ideological shifts in the curriculum. However, this choice demands significant sacrifices amid economic instability, rising inflation, and neoliberal policies. The findings underscore that securing quality education has become a challenge for families, reflecting broader systemic issues.