Settlement Aspects of Fertility in the Republic of Bashkortostan

The importance of the rural component in the demographic potential of the Republic is difficult to overestimate. It is known that the demographic behaviour of rural and urban residents differs due to objective reasons; this article focuses on the settlement aspects of fertility. Birth rate trends in the Republic and the role of the settlement factor were demonstrated based on statistics and sociological data. In particular, it was found that the slowdown in the birth rate in the last five years occurred at the expense of both urban and rural areas. The difference between the urban and rural indicators decreases: for example, there is a convergence of reproductive attitudes and the spread of an orientation to a two-child family. However, the calculated data show that this decline is temporary and, so far, it does not affect the final birth rates.