Reproductive Intentions of Modern Russian Youth and Assessment of the Possibilities of Their Realization

Abstract

The urgency of demographic problems in Russia is being discussed today at the highest level, serious measures have been taken to stabilize the demographic situation by supporting Russian families in a difficult socio-economic situation. Nevertheless, the number of children born per woman remains insufficient not only for growth, but also for maintaining the population. In this situation, it is necessary to study the reproductive behavior and productive attitudes of Russian youth in order to develop effective measures that influence the motivation to marry and give birth to children. This paper examines some aspects of the reproductive behavior of Russian youth under the age of 35, inclusive, based on the data of a quantitative study obtained as part of the first wave of All-Russian monitoring "Demographic well-being of the population of the regions of Russia" (end of 2019 – beginning of 2020, 10 regions of Russia), as well as a qualitative study (beginning of 2021, 17 informants from the Volgograd Region and Stavropol Territory). The sample of the qualitative study did not include informants from socially unadapted families, informants from families whose socio-economic situation is close to the median in the region of residence were selected. The questions for the in-depth interview were formulated in accordance with the following plan: the marital and reproductive attitudes of the parents (the family experience of the informant's parents); the marital and reproductive attitudes of the informant (their own family and reproductive experience); the impact of federal and regional measures to support the Russian family on making a decision about the birth of a child; the needs of the family and problems that hinder the implementation of reproductive plans. The obtained data allowed us to formulate conclusions about the factors that hinder the growth of the birth rate in the Russian regions, and possible ways to optimize the situation.