According to a study conducted by the Department of Family Sociology and Demography (Faculty of Sociology) at Lomonosov Moscow State University, men who grew up in families with three or more children create families with the same number of children more often than women whose parents had large families. However, the majority of men and women who were born and raised in large families do not become fathers and mothers of many
children. Intergenerational continuity is important, but is not the leading factor contributing to the formation of large families. Research data show that the most favorable conditions for creating a family with three or more children are possible when both spouses are oriented not only
to this number of children, but also to the family lifestyle in general. It is very important that fathers not only earn enough money to provide the family with everything they need, but also actively participate in the care and upbringing of their children. Of great importance is the mothers’ willingness to either devote themselves entirely to household chores for a long time or earn money in such a way that it does not interfere with taking care of their husbands and children. The birth rate in Russia has been too low for six decades, that is, it does not ensure complete replacement of generations. Most men and women who are now of reproductive age were born and raised in families with one or two children. The transmission of the values of a large family should be supported. However, it is even more important to instill these values in people who grew up in one- and two-child families. The second of these problems is more difficult to solve than the first. However, this is necessary in order to increase the birth rate to a level that ensures complete replacement of generations, that is, to stop depopulation in Russia. The opinion of husbands and fathers matters more when it comes not to the birth of the first or second child, but about the third and fourth children. Family and demographic policy aimed at increasing the birth rate should create incentives for the creation of large families and favorable conditions for their future life. These incentives are necessary, and the conditions must be sufficient for both parents.
Acknowledgments: this work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation under grant № 23-28-00518 “Social construction of life strategies for families with different numbers of children: a socio-demographic studies”, https://rscf.ru/project/23-28-00518/.
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