The family in the Republic of Srpska- post-war and transitional changes

Abstract

The family in the Republic o f Srpska has been under the influence o f immense social macro processes, especially in the period from 1990 until today. This paper analyses the basic processes and tendencies o f the transitional and the post-war changes in the sphere o f the family through empirical research carried out in the area o f the city o f East Sarajevo. The family was brought back to some earlier forms o f family life due to the severe effects o f the war, the pauperization, the destruction o f reproduction and the general vulnerability o f the family members. On the other side, the family has been exposed to certain processes typical o f the developed Western countries: decreased birth rate and fertility, increased extramarital birth rate and different kinds o f cohabitation, etc. Taking into consideration all o f the above-mentioned, we can talk about certain transformational mixture: the adoption o f some trends from the West and the simultaneous process o f re-traditionalization. In this paper we would analyse some o f the main post-war and transitional changes that the family in the Republic o f Srpska has underwent: exile, negative demographic trends, decreased number o f extended families, abrupt pauperization, overall insecurity, and numerous risks typical for a damaged public sphere o f the society, along with changes in socio-economic strategies.