Following Traditions or Conscious Choice during the Life Course: An Analysis of Fertility Decision Making in Russian Population Groups with Higher Fertility
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2024.6.2649Keywords:
fertility, focus groups, regions of Russia, demographic transitionAbstract
The paper examines the results of a quantitative survey of attitudes towards childbearing among people living in those parts of Russia, which were characterized by a more noticeable increase in the birth rate than in the country as a whole, as well as a younger age of motherhood in the 2010s. These are the Northern Caucasus and rural territories of several regions. The study is based on focus groups held in two republics of the Northern Caucasus (Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia) and among the rural population of five regions in other parts of the country (Kalmykia, Bashkortostan, Stavropol Territory, Astrakhan, and Tomsk regions).
The respondents generally did not accept the approach to childbearing, which assumes reproducing fertility patterns of older generations and considers having a certain number of children to certain ages as “obligatory.” Much more “pragmatical” attitudes dominated among the respondents. Age at childbearing and the number of children was considered a matter of a couple’s free choice, not constrained by any ideals or restrictions accepted in society. The importance of combining parenthood and professional self-realization was emphasized. The “quality” of parenthood, indicated mainly by psychological comfort conditions for all family members, is assigned a higher priority than the number of children.
The results of focus groups showed that among residents of the North Caucasus and a number of rural areas, views on childbearing are transforming in accordance with how it is ongoing in the rest of the country. It is of interest for further study, as in the absence of a "value fault" with residents of other regions, in the listed territories the birth rates remain above average.
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