Large families are the rule and most households have at least five or six members. Disintegration of the tribal structure began at the turn of the century and entered its final phase in the seventies. Massive migrations to the towns, as well as other cultural and social changes, have contributed to the extinction of tribal society. The Kurdish language is banned in Turkey. Schools are ill-equipped and there are too few of them.
Medical care is inadequate in the towns and almost non-existent in the rural areas.
Nearly all Kurds are Muslim, most being Shafiite Sunnis, and embraced Islam following the Arab conquests if the seventh century. Although Kurds are predominantly Sunnis, there is stormy hostility between the Sunni Kurds and the Shi'ite Kurds. These differences have class overtones, and the lower class minorities are associated with the more unorthodox sects of Islam. These have proven to be the most fervently rebellious parts of Kurdish society. Even among the Sunni Kurds, there are traces of an earlier pagan and violent type faith which sets them apart from other Muslims.