Models of Reproductive Behavior in an Urban Family: Generational Conflict of Values

Rybakova Ol'ga Viktorovna PhD in Philosophy Associate Prohessor, Chair of applied Sociology, Ural Federal University 620000, Russia, Sverdlovsk region, Yekaterinburg, Lenin str., 51 Ol.rybakova@gmail.com Mokerova Yuliya Viktorovna PhD in Sociology Yulia Mokerova PhD in Social Sciences Asossiate Professor Chair of applied Sociology, Ural Federal University 620000, Russia, Sverdlovsk region, Yekaterinburg, Lenin str., 51 j.v.mokerova@urfu.ru

Gurarii Anna Dmitrievna PhD in Sociology Associate Professor, Chair of applied Sociology, Ural Federal University 620000, Russia, Sverdlovsk region, Yekaterinburg, Lenin str., 51 anna.gurariy@urfu.ru

IntroductionThe rapid pace of development of modern society, the multiple expansion of the information space and the variety of sources of information significantly affect the socio-cultural norms of interaction between generations.

  The eternal problem of mutual understanding, the continuity of the experience of older and younger generations is expressed in ever deeper ideological gaps.

The socialization of generations Y and Z takes place in the conditions of turbulence and upheavals of recent decades, which is especially characteristic of Russian society.  A series of economic and political crises, a pandemic with its destruction of social and kinship ties have led to a tangible break in the continuity of the values of older generations and youth.

One of the most vulnerable to such gaps is the institution of the family, which implements a key social function – the birth and upbringing of the younger generation.

Today, both domestic and foreign researchers from various branches of science (philosophy, sociology, psychology, anthropology, cultural studies, economics, etc.) are studying reproductive attitudes and changing scenarios of reproductive behavior of the modern family institute ^[1,3,6,7]. The increased interest of the scientific community and the authorities in this topic is not accidental. It is dictated by a number of acute problems:

1. The problem of increasing depopulation in Russia. On the one hand, many European countries live in depopulation mode today, and Russia is in this trend. The total fertility rate in Russia has been steadily declining since 2015 ^[4].  A number of specific living conditions of Russian families exacerbate this negative trend. Fears associated with the threat of falling below the poverty line after the birth of a child stop many families, strengthen the effect of "deferred parenthood" ^[10] despite the increase in state support for fertility. Indeed, the share of families with children whose per capita incomes are below the subsistence minimum has been steadily increasing since 2014. Today, according to Rosstat, every fourth child (26%) lives in low-income families with incomes below the subsistence minimum. ^[15]

2. Another unfavorable factor is the fact that the number of cohorts of women and men of reproductive age decreased in the generation of 1995-2000 who entered the fertile age, and there are still no trends towards an increase in the number of children in young families. Our research in 2021 shows that the planned number of children in this generation does not differ from the statistical indicators of the birth rate of Russian women of older generations. 58% of the younger generation consider it optimal to have two children, and 20% - one child.

Fig. 2. The citizens' ideas about the optimal number of children in the family

Negative demographic trends in terms of fertility and mortality, increasing depopulation focus the attention of experts and authorities on the factors determining matrimonial and reproductive behavior in Russian families, make studies of reproductive attitudes of young people acutely relevant.

The problems that determined the direction of this study

1. Scenarios of reproductive behavior of Russian families are caused not only by negative demographic and economic conditions, but are a field of generational conflicts, consisting in the denial of socially significant experience of older generations by cohorts entering the fertile age.  Older generations, carriers of traditional matrimonial and reproductive attitudes: early marriage, mandatory birth of at least 1-2 children, face such common phenomena among young people as  Childfree or deferred parenthood. These internal, seemingly imperceptible conflicts of value attitudes have a significant impact on the continuity in the formation of the worldview of future parents who are responsible for the birth and socialization of children.

2. Another problem that is gaining urgency is the increasingly long stage of young people's dependency, their financial and household dependence on the parental family. On the one hand, the primary ideas about parenthood among young worshippers are formed on the basis of the perception of family values and the image of parents' reproductive behavior, on the other, they clearly come into conflict with the social infantilism characteristic of many young people: acceptance of their own lack of independence, avoidance of responsibility, orientation to the "live for yourself" scenario in which the creation of a family and the birth of children is postponed indefinitely, etc.

The purpose of this work is to identify the discrepancy between the key value attitudes on the reproductive behavior of older and younger generations in the modern Russian family. The search for answers to the question of what exactly is the value "transit", how reproductive attitudes conflict within the family is extremely important for understanding what measures of support from the state, public organizations, in addition to material ones, can minimize negative trends in the scenarios of reproductive behavior of Russian families and increase the reproductive potential of Russian society.

To achieve this goal, it was not by chance that the urban family turned out to be the focus of our influence. The low birth rate for the majority of the urban population is deeply rooted in the lifestyle and value system. It is the urban environment that determines the lack of children. As E.N. Novoselova writes “In the conditions of a large city, it becomes almost impossible for a wide family circle to live together… Parents do not communicate with children, children do not communicate with their parents. Parents not only disappear at work all day, but in the conditions of expanding the service sector, they still go somewhere after work”^[21] Studies show that the lowest desired number of children (2.01) was found among Russians living in the main megacities of Russia - Moscow and St. Petersburg, and the highest (2.45) in rural areas ^[19,20]

Methodology and methods The methodological basis of the research was publications that consider reproductive behavior as an important component of the life strategy of each generation^{[10, 19]}. V.A. Borisov interprets reproductive behavior as a system of "actions, relationships and mental states of a person associated with the birth or refusal to give birth to children of any order, in marriage or out of marriage"^[2].

The analysis of scientific literature on modern problems of matrimonial and reproductive behavior shows that the processes of family transformation are mainly studied in the structural and functional paradigm with an emphasis on changes in the functions of this social institution, its impact on the demographic potential of society, which is certainly important as an information base for the formation of state demographic policy ^[13,14,20]. However, to understand reproductive The axiological approach has a great heuristic value for the scenarios of the modern Russian family. It allows us to show and explain intra-family value dominants, to designate the "transit" of reproductive attitudes of the younger generation from a value-rational scenario to a goal-oriented one, which largely determines the real behavior of generations entering the fertile age.

Each generation constructs its own meanings and attitudes towards family and the desire to have children. The choice of one or another strategy of reproductive behavior occurs, on the one hand, on the basis of the ideas of the generation entering the fertile age about a prosperous future, on the other hand, the goals that the individual sets for himself and the ways to achieve them that he chooses are based on his own background and social experience of his reference social environment obtained earlier ^[15].

Studies from different years show that Russian youth as a whole demonstrate pro-family values ^[3,4,8]. Family and family values are one of the components of the "happiness" category among both women and men^[16]. At the same time, a significant transformation of the behavioral patterns established in the older age categories is observed in the youth environment – the departure from the extended family, the spread of the value of individualism, the emergence of the ideology of deferred parenthood and childfree ^[3,6,14,18].

In March-April 2021. The Laboratory of Political Science and Sociological Research of the UGI UrFU together with the UGMU (Medical University) a survey of students of both universities was conducted on the topic "Actual reproductive attitudes of students". The study was conducted by the online questionnaire method. The purpose of the study was to study the current reproductive attitudes of students and stereotypes regarding childbearing. The total sample was 2,439 students, of which 1,626 were UrFU students, 867 were medical university students. The questionnaire was distributed through the system of personal accounts of students of both universities, as well as posted on the official websites of educational institutions. The respondent independently made the decision to participate in the survey.

In addition, in order to identify intergenerational conflicts in matrimonial and reproductive attitudes in urban families, we conducted a survey in October 2021. The sample consisted of 600 representatives of households who make basic family decisions. Method: mass survey by personal telephone interview by CATI center operators. The survey was attended by residents of Yekaterinburg aged 18 and over, living in Yekaterinburg. Sampling technology: the survey was conducted by mobile phone. The base of mobile phones was formed using a random number generator based on mobile phone operator codes.

Research resultsIn our study, reproductive attitudes were analyzed through the prism of basic indicators: the planned number of children, the estimated age of birth of the firstborn.

The main factors determining the transformation of traditional reproductive attitudes for older generations in the reproductive scenarios of urban youth were also characterized.

According to research, in urban families today there is a pronounced intergenerational conflict in matrimonial and reproductive attitudes. The issues of creating a family and having children are the subject of a clash of values and attitudes of older generations and young people. These deep-seated value conflicts significantly affect the real behavior of young people. This conflict manifests itself especially vividly in large cities, where social changes are more dynamic, the urban environment contributes to the nuclearization of families, the lifestyle of young people is extremely saturated and significantly differs from the life strategies and values of older generations.

Despite the fact that the family remains in the top positions among the vital values of young people, a long period of decision-making about marriage and the birth of the first child is becoming an increasingly widespread trend among young people. Several reasons contribute to this, in addition to general macro and microeconomic and demographic factors.

Firstly, young people, especially in large cities, are involved in a resource-intensive, long-term education process, which significantly prolongs the stage of financial independence, dependent dependence on the parent family. Thus, a survey of Yekaterinburg students conducted by us in 2021 showed that the main obstacles to starting a family and having a first child are

· Feeling of incomplete independence - the need to first gain independence in life (63%, this factor is leading for everyone, but most of all it is significant for young people under 21).

· A feeling of lack of sufficient resources and conditions for this (41%, most typical for grown-up men 22+)

·        Youth, the desire to live for yourself, for your own pleasure (39%, most typical for young women under 21).

Secondly, the younger generation of citizens, even with relatively modest financial opportunities, is actively involved in the entertainment industry, which is becoming an increasingly valuable sphere of everyday life. The involvement of young people in the global leisure industry significantly affects their reassessment of the traditional forms of leisure time for Russians of the middle and older generations, centered on joint family household chores and entertainment: household chores, TV, visits to relatives, etc. The next generation today is increasingly characterized by non-domestic leisure activity:  visiting nightclubs, youth discos, sports, visiting cafes, bars and restaurants, etc. This not only increases the value of recreational leisure practices, but also stimulates the effect of deferred plans to create your own family as a limiter in meeting recreational needs.

Thirdly, the transformation of the value system in the very institution of the Russian family since the 1990s of the last century does not contribute to early parenthood and orientation towards having many children.  Statistical indicators and our sociological research show the presence of very contradictory attitudes and models of reproductive behavior in older and younger generations in urban families.

In recent decades, the range of scenarios of matrimonial and reproductive behavior of young people has become much more diverse, which often takes conflicting forms with the traditions of older generations.

One of these models can be called "rational conscious (or responsible) parenting." This model is characterized by a high level of awareness about the means of regulation, control of pregnancy, rational decision-making about the birth of children with a long period of preparation. Future parents carefully prepare for the birth of a child, strive to create a material basis, strengthen their health, and so on. These activities require significant time resources. Our study showed a high level of awareness of young citizens about pregnancy control tools.

Table 1. The level of awareness about contraception and safe sexual relationships, % of the number of people asked for in the sample as a whole and by gender groups

The ideology of "conscious parenthood" is understood as the conscious concentration of all the aspirations of parents on the process of preserving the life and health of the child, the acceptance of personal, moral and civic responsibility of parents for the birth and upbringing of children.  In contrast to the prevailing traditional domestic model of parenthood, the father assumes equal responsibility with the mother in the care and upbringing of the child ^[13].

Another diametric model of reproductive behavior can be called Childfree, the attitude of society towards which is becoming more tolerant.

The results of our survey indicate that the majority of young people plan to start a family and have children, but more than 66% of them demonstrate a positive attitude to the voluntary refusal of people from having children. The "childfree" trend in the youth community is massively approved. A quarter of respondents (26%) are indifferent to the refusal of people from childbearing, and only a small part (about 8%) are negative.

TOP 3 reasons to support "childfree", according to the study participants:

·        This is a free choice of every person. More than half of the respondents think so; 

·        Children should be brought up by those who are really ready for this (47%) 

·        Not everyone can give birth to a healthy child (40%, this opinion is most typical for young people under 21).

The top reasons for the condemnation of "childfree" are mainly personal reasons, not social ones:

· A person deprives himself of the joy of continuing in descendants / the joy of raising a new person, condemns himself to loneliness and in general (5% of respondents)

·        This is contrary to human nature (6% of respondents),

·        The country's population is shrinking (only 3% of respondents)

 The attitude to this model of reproductive behavior practically divided the study participants into groups diametrically opposed in their positions. The survey data clearly demonstrate that the older generation is less tolerant of the idea of childfree, while middle-generation people and especially young people are quite tolerant, believing that this is a free choice of every person, and it makes sense to have children for those who are ready for the mission of becoming a parent. 

Table 2. The attitude of the population to the voluntary refusal of people to give birth to children in age groups and in the sample as a whole,  % from the number of respondents in general and by age groups

The changed attitudes and scenarios of reproductive behavior of the younger generation contradict the matrimonial attitudes on the age of family creation and the birth of the firstborn of older generations that existed in the Soviet era of 1950-1980.

In particular, the optimal age of marriage for men, according to the overwhelming majority of the study participants, is in the range of 24-32 years, and for women 21-27 years.

Differences in the perceptions of citizens about the optimal age of starting a family for men and especially women become even more noticeable if you look at the prevailing attitudes in the age groups of the study participants.

Representatives of the older generation reproduce the prevailing attitude during their youth, according to which the husband should be older than his wife, and the woman should get married as early as possible. This is the opinion of a third of respondents over the age of 55. Similar positions are demonstrated by citizens with an average level of education (31%).

 The optimal age of marriage for women in the views of the younger generation, on the contrary, is clearly "shifted" to the interval of 28-32 years.

Thus, the traditional Russian scenario of matrimonial behavior in the middle of the last century, when a woman was persistently recommended by the reference environment to get married and give birth to her first child before the age of 25, under the threat of being labeled "stuck in the girls" and "old-born", is reproduced today in many families of Russians by older generations and enters into a value conflict with the changing patterns of matrimonial behavior of the generation of 1995-2000. living in a turbulent world of global opportunities and new risks.

ConclusionOur research suggests that the essence of the transition in the reproductive scenarios of young people is transformed from a value-rational model to a goal-oriented one.

Purposeful reproductive behavior is a phenomenon of modern life strategies of young people, which presupposes the freedom of individual reproductive choice: a conscious decision to have children or refuse to procreate.  At the same time, the younger generation does not reject the scenarios of matrimonial behavior and the birth of children of older generations, supports "pro-family" values. It makes sense to study this value conflict and take it into account as a "subtle tuning tool" in shaping the policy of stimulating fertility.