Families Before and After Perestroika: Russian and U.S. Perspectives.

Abstract

Presenting the first substantive comparison of Russian and American family life in the post-Cold War era, this volume yields a diversity of insights into the successes, failures, and challenges faced by both societies. An outgrowth of the United States/Soviet Family Project - initiated in 1985 as a means for developing meaningful, programmatic cooperation between Soviets and Americans - the book provides the most faithful rendering to date of the unique aspects of family life that have characterized Soviet socialist society through much of the twentieth century. Emphasizing the cooperative nature of the book, the information is derived from intensive research, discussions, and exchanges conducted by Russian and American social scientists specializing in particular areas of family study. Each chapter presents cogent analyses of historical and contemporary issues that have been placed into perspective by family scientists. The topics covered represent a range of important issues confronting post-Soviet families today, as well as thoughts about what the turmoil of the current period will bring. The text begins with an overview of major trends in the two societies and ends with interpretive analyses by the editors. Eschewing subjects widely covered in other recent publications, early chapters explore such highly selective family issues as the current state of male-female relationships in marriage, trends in divorce and remarriage, sexual attitudes and practices, the relationship between work and family life in centrally regulated and free enterprise economies, and family-related problems of aging populations. An incisive debate between a Russian and an American on definitions of familypolicy is concretely brought to life by a discussion on the respective strengths and weaknesses of child care programs in the two societies. The concluding chapter analyzes the themes that emerge from a comparative examination of Soviet and American family life, and presents provocat

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