Turkey's president reignites controversy with 'incomplete' comment

Erdogan had on Monday said that family planning and contraception were not for Muslim families, prompting fury among activists.

"A woman who says 'because I am working I will not be a mother' is actually denying her femininity," he added.

"A women who rejects motherhood, who refrains from being around the house, however successful her working life is, is deficient, is incomplete."

Erdogan's comments were the latest in a series of controversial remarks aimed at pushing women to boost Turkey's population, Al Jazeera reports.

"Rejecting motherhood means giving up on humanity," Erdogan said in a speech marking the opening of the new building of Turkey's Women's and Democracy Association.

"I would recommend having at least three children."

The president emphasised he was a strong supporter of women having careers, but said that this should not be an ‘obstacle’ to having children.

The fact that a woman is attached to her professional life should not prevent her from being a mother," he added, saying that Turkey had taken "important steps" to support working mothers.