RURAL FERTILITY RATE IN THE KRASNOYARSK KRAI IN THE CONTEXT OF DEMOGRAPHIC PROCESSES IN RUSSIA (1990-2000)
L.N. Slavina
Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University, 89, Ady Lebedevoy Str., Krasnoyarsk, 660049, Russia
Keywords: fertility, rural population, Krasnoyarsk territory, reproductive process, demographic modernization, fertility behavior, second demographic transition, illegitimate birth rate, common-law marriages
Abstract
The paper considers main trends in the development of rural fertility rate during the post-Soviet period as exemplified by the rural population of the Krasnoyarsk krai. The purpose of the study is to find out to what extent the rural dwellers adopted the new reproductive norms, which character the process of fertility acquired under conditions of radical transformation of rural society according to Western standards and what features are peculiar to this process in Siberia. The research theme was chosen due to the fact that it has been poorly studied at the national and regional levels. It is also necessary to overcome misinterpretations made under the influence of political situation. All processes unfolding in the Krasnoyarsk countryside have been studied in comparison with similar processes in towns located within the Krasnoyarsk krai and in other rural areas of Russia. The events in the reproductive sphere are treated on the basis of demographic modernization theory which was further elaborated by a concept of the second demographic transition. The information base of the research includes the data of 1989, 2002 and 2010 population censuses, the data of 1984 micro-census as well as current demographic statistics. The study has shown that the reproductive behavior of villagers is undergoing a transformation while acquiring features typical of the second demographic transition which has been observed in Western countries since the 1970s. However, along with some features of ”Westernization” the reproductive model still has “Soviet relics”. It is unstable and highly dependent on external conditions. Their improvement resulted in a short-time increase in fertility rate when the national and regional demographic projects were launched. Instability of the rural residents’ behavior makes it difficult to predict further development of the fertility process. However it necessitates observation of fluctuations of this process, since the knowledge of all modern trends in fertility and of underlying factors at the regional scale is an essential condition for developing an effective demographic strategy.
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