Spare Wife Advises Against It

(Haberturk Newspaper, 21 January 2011)

Gülten Istekli was working as an accountant in a computer firm
in Yenikapı, Istanbul, in 2002 when at 17 she fell in love with
Cemil Istekli, 25 years her elder.  Gülten followed Istekli to
Siverek district of Şanlıurfa province, where Istekli already had
a wife and eight children. Now, Gülten finds herself working in
a carrot field in Kırıkhan district of Hatay province as a seasonal
field hand for 15 Turkish Lira per day.  Once known as 'Turkey's
most famous kuma (spare wife)', Gülten advises women against
becoming a 'kuma'.

Cemil Istekli, however, criticized a university's research on the
'kuma' phenomenon, in which it was calculated that there are
187,000 'kuma' in Turkey. According to Istekli, 'If this research
had been done properly the number would have been over one
million.  Because women perceived as 'kuma' in the east are the
same as mistresses in the west.'  Referring to mistresses, Gülten
said that 'they don't get a man's name. At least we have a marriage
ceremony.' Cemil and Gülten Istekli refuted reports that they will
break up.