A woman who abstains from maternity out of a desire to work is deficient, no matter how successful she is, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said June 5.

“A woman who abstains from maternity by saying ‘I am working’ means that she is actually denying her femininity. This is my sincere thought. A woman who refuses maternity and gives up housekeeping faces the threats of losing her freedom. She is lacking and is a half [a person] no matter how successful she is in the business world,” Erdogan said at the opening ceremony of the Women and Democracy Association (KADEM) in Istanbul.

Erdogan also added that producing and being in all fields of life do not obstruct maternity, noting that the government had made significant regulations to encourage maternity during his prime ministry.

“I certainly do not accept the business world becoming an alternative for maternity,” the president said.