MODERN RUSSIAN FAMILY IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIO-HISTORICAL CHANGES OF PARENTHOOD

Abstract

Introduction. Contemporary Russian studies about the traditional Russian family often describe it as being in a state of crisis. According to researchers, this crisis is defined by a decrease in registered marriages and corresponding increase in unmarried cohabiting couples; a rise in extramarital births; a rise in divorces; and a trend towards families with few children. Current statistics show that around 70% of families in the Russian Federation fall apart, and that the number of registered marriages is going down. In many respects, these changes are linked to the transformation of parenthood in Russian society over the past 100 years, which occurred due to various social and historical phenomena. These include; the emancipation of women and their consequent contributions to politics and the economy, which was accompanied by a shift in the distribution of reproductive and productive labour in married couples; the development of state childcare, and changes to the legal status of a child and their role in the family structure. Transformations in the institute of the family can therefore be viewed not as indicators of crisis, but rather as a logical remodelling, in response to changes in social, economic and political areas of public life. Materials and methods. The following methods were used for the preparation of this article; theoretical analysis of Russian and international literature, study of scientific articles and publications on the topic, overview of results from Russian and international studies, content analysis. Results. Changes in child-parent relations throughout historical development of the family institute in different societies (specifically within Russia); special characteristics of the modern Russian family and its distinctive features; comparison of these features with those which are typical for families in developed countries. Discussion and conclusion . The phenomena in the Russian family system, which contemporary researchers often describe as crisis indicators are, to a great extent, simply replications of typical trends in developed countries. These phenomena are part of global changes in public life. However, the Russian system is nonetheless unique, with its own legacy of social, economic and cultural characteristics, and child-parent relations.

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