Reproductive attitudes of the youth in Penza region: the gap between the expected and the desired

Abstract

Background. The article deals with the demographic situation in modern Russia that characterized by low fertility, postponing childbirth, normalization of cohabitation. That’s why much attention is given to the necessities of studying the reproductive attitudes of the youth at the regional level. The purpose of the work is to identify trends in the reproductive attitudes of young people in Penza region and to compare the indicators of the expected and desired number of children. Materials and methods. The text gives valuable information on reproductive attitudes that consist of the ideal, desired and expected number of children. Within the framework of this work, the data obtained in the course of the sociological survey “Marriage and Cohabitation” were analyzed. Data are given about identifying attitudes regarding the number of children: ideal, desired, expected. Results. As a result of the theoretical material and research data analysis, the hypothesis of the gap between the desired and expected number of children was confirmed. The reproductive attitudes of young people in the Penza region are characterized by an orientation toward a two-child family model. The patterns of a family with one child and a family without children do not find much support as desired, however, they are often referred to as expected. Conclusions. It is shown that the reproductive attitudes of the youth in Penza region correspond to all- Russian tendencies. An important characteristic is the significant gap between the expected and desired number of children. In most cases, the desired number of children is a projective indicator that focuses on internal emotional-cognitive attitudes without taking into account the real socio-economic situation and living conditions.

Keywords

• family
• youth
• demographic trends
• reproductive attitudes
• expected number of children
• desired number of children