Since time immemorial, mothers-in-law have been the source of marital distress and the subject of vilification and ridicule. In Turkey, the proverbial rivalry between a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law is perhaps best illustrated in a popular folk song, which says the best way to deal with a mother-in-law is to “throw her in a boiling caldron” and “toss more wood in the fire” each time she screams for help. The dreadful mother-in-law described in the song may be fiction, but among Turkey’s 39.9 million women today, there remain many overbearing mothers-in-law who terrorize families and refuse to share their sons.

From the fictional "Game of Thrones" queen who had her daughter-in-law locked up to the real sultanas and queen mothers who waged bitter battles in Ottoman and Western courts, the image of the mother-in-law is rarely a flattering one. (Bad daughters-in-law are, of course, a separate issue.)

The domineering mother-in-law, a central figure in the traditional Turkish family, features prominently in Turkish literature, cinema, television and music. In fact, Turkey’s first sitcom series, a big hit in the 1970s, was called “Mothers-in-Law.” Years after her death, Turkish actress Aliye Rona remains the unforgettable “bad mother-in-law” of the big screen. The scowling shrew she played would torment brides played by the top beauties of Turkish cinema, poisoning many romances, much to the dismay of Turkish viewers. About a decade ago, another “bad mother-in-law” became a household name. Semra Yucel was a memorable participant in a blockbuster reality show called "Would you be my daughter-in-law?" in which young women competed to win the hearts of would-be mothers-in-law.

The hegemony of the mother-in-law remains widespread in families in Turkey’s rural backwaters, where brides are expected to raise children, do housework, toil in the fields and take care of livestock. In such patriarchal clans, male children mean power for women. Sons become their means of gaining respect, an asset they refuse to share with daughters-in-law, laying the ground for conflict.