Corporate Demographic Business Practices: Attitudes of Russian Students as Future Employees

The research was supported by Russian Science Foundation grant 24-18-00854 project/24-18-00854).

The problem, which the research is aimed at solving, is related to the complex of demographic challenges facing Russian society. The Center for Strategic Research identifies seven groups of such challenges, the main ones being the decline in birth rate and high mortality rate, population aging, internal migration and, as a result, depopulation1.

Depopulation in the regions becomes a threat to their sustainable socio-economic development and significantly affects the labor market.

The dynamics of the previous decade clearly demonstrates the annual decline in the birth rate. In 2024, 721,728 fewer people were born in Russia than in 2015 (Tab. 1) . The country has long failed to

Table 1. Fertility and mortality rates in Russia over the last 10 years

	Year
	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Born, people	1,944136	1,893256	1,689884	1,604589	1,484517	1,435850	1,402834	1,306162	1,264938	1,222408
Died, people	1,911413	1,887913	1,824340	1,827827	1,800683	2,124479	2,445509	1,905778	1,760172	1,818635
Increase/decline	+32,723	+5,343	-134,456	-223,238	-316,166	-688,729	-104,2675	-599,616	-495,234	-596,227

According to: Mortality and fertility in Russia. Available at:

ensure even simple reproduction of the population – the total fertility rate (the average number of children per woman) for 2024 amounted to 1.402.

The decline in the birth rate is significantly influenced by the change in the gender order of the social structure and the system of values, in which traditional family values are receding into the background, and priority is given to the values of career, material well-being, and personal comfort. This is especially pronounced in young cohorts of the population. The analysis of reproductive attitudes of young people in the studies of domestic scientists (Shabunova, Kalachikova, 2012; Kazenin et al., 2020; Kostina, Bannykh, 2020; Rostovskaya et al., 2023; etc.) reveals trends of delayed parenthood – the birth of the firstborn after 27–30 years of age, and often unwillingness to have children at all.

To realize the priority national goals and solve demographic problems, the state has launched a search for new approaches and tools to strengthen the system of traditional family values and support families with children. At the highest level, in the report on the implementation of the national project “Demography”, the possibility and necessity of solving these problems was determined only in conditions of close social partnership between the state, business and society3. Today in Russia, it is proposed to rank socially responsible companies by the presence of their own social and demographic programs. The EPS-rating outlines the main evaluation criteria: level of remuneration, own social and demographic programs, charitable projects aimed at solving socially important problems4. It is no coincidence that the rating of responsible Russian business is preceded by the words of the President of Russia V.V. Putin: “It is important when business, companies demonstrate responsibility for the country, for the region, for the city where they work, for the professionals in their teams, implement projects in the social sphere, in the field of environmental protection”5.

In public ESG reports on sustainable development, large companies, along with information on their participation in addressing global challenges, include declarations on the importance of employees feeling socially protected, working in safe conditions, living in comfortable cities and being able to ensure the long-term well-being of their families6. Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE) has been consistently promoting successful corporate practices, including those related to the implementation of demographic priorities of social development7. All this is evidence of the formation of the institution of corporate citizenship in the demographic sphere.

The interest of Russian employers in the sustainable development of the regions and the stability of the labor market is obvious. In a situation of staffing shortage, companies are looking for new reserves in the competition for personnel, and the trend to retain personnel is gaining momentum, including through the expansion of corporate practices to support parenthood and include employees’ families in the range of social support. This emphasizes the special relevance of the topic under consideration: corporate demographic policy is a relatively new phenomenon and needs comprehensive research and scientific interpretation. Not only scientists, but, first of all, companies and organizations themselves need to understand how important the inclusion of such practices in the system of corporate social responsibility of the enterprise is for employees themselves, how they assess the effectiveness of these practices, what they consider to be a priority. In terms of forecasting the situation, of particular interest is the position of students of higher education institutions – future employees, namely their awareness of corporate practices to support family employees and the inclusion of these practices in the system of criteria for choosing a future place of work. It is important to consider in more detail the students’ perceptions of corporate demographic policy in relation to their value attitudes toward family and parenthood. This is the novelty and a special aspect of practical significance of the study. It seems that the results of the work will help to differentiate corporate demographic policy in relation to target audiences, make it more targeted, allow determining the potential impact of corporate practices of family support and family values on the reproductive behavior of current and potential employees.

Thus, the aim of our study is to identify and analyze Russian university students’ perceptions of corporate demographic practices. A special aspect of the goal is to identify the relationship between students’ perceptions of corporate demographic practices of business and attitudes toward family and parenthood. One of the aspects of novelty and scientific and methodological significance of the study was the development of our methodology for collecting and analyzing qualitative sociological data and forming a typology of the study participants’ commitment to family and parenting attitudes.

Theoretical framework of the study

The inclusion of demographic programs in the social programs of business is considered within the concept of corporate citizenship (Nagi, Robb, 2008; Tutton, Brand, 2023). The concept of “corporate citizenship” emerged in the previous decades of the last century and began to be actively used along with the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR). In the most general interpretation, corporate social responsibility referred to those business policies that were desirable for the goals and values of society (Bowen, 1953). The concept of “corporate citizenship” is not a complete synonym for CSR. Proponents of the substantive distinction of the terms believe that corporate citizenship is not reduced to CSR practices, the focus shifts from the social plane to the socio-political plane (Peregudov, Semenenko, 2008). Researchers note that the practice of corporate citizenship provides companies with both economic and reputational benefits: it has a positive impact on financial results, maximizes the value of the company, increases profits (Devine, Halpern, 2001), contributes to the growth of staff and customer loyalty (Wong et al., 2020; Mullins et al., 2021; Tang et al., 2023). Meanwhile, strategic business choices in favor of the public good of developing and maintaining habitat and human capital are considered the main indicator of corporate citizenship (Grit, 2004). Researchers suggest that organizations that can be identified as good “corporate citizens” fully incorporate ethical and social goals into the business agenda, placing these values at the core of their corporate governance (Zappala, 2004;

Warhurst, 2004). Corporate citizenship implies a close partnership of business with the state and society. In the field of demography, it implies interaction and mutual exchange of the main actors: the state, which demonstrates interest in including the institution of business in support of the demographic agenda; society, interested in building a fair and sustainable future, and business, which uses corporate demographic policy to achieve strategic goals to build human capital (Bagirova et al., 2024). This is where the heuristic potential of the concept of “corporate citizenship” lies.

Corporate demographic policy is a system of measures aimed at supporting the needs of the enterpise’s employees who, in addition to professional and labor functions, also perform family functions, including parental functions, care for elderly parents, etc. (Bagirova, Vavilova, 2021). It is a part of social policy and has recently been regarded by enterprises and corporations as an important mechanism for increasing loyalty and retention of personnel. Corporate demographic policy is a relatively new direction in the social activities of Russian companies, but its content and significance have already been considered in the works of such Russian scientists as T.K. Rostovskaya, A.P. Bagirova, O.M. Shubat, A.S. Vavilova, and others.

Current research has identified the most common and popular directions for the implementation of such policies:

• 1)    health saving of employees and formation of the value of a healthy lifestyle (Rostovskaya et al., 2021);

• 2)    decent remuneration for work, including social support measures (Hodges, 2020; Lee et al., 2022; Wuestenenk, Begall, 2022);

• 3)    respecting family responsibilities of employees with children (Mastersonet al., 2020; Wang et al., 2023).

Thus, the key features of the social policy of family-centered companies are the formation of conceptual support for family values at the highest level of management; creation of a safe corporate environment for employees planning and carrying out parental responsibilities, which meets the demands of society in terms of solving demographic problems.

Theoretical and methodological guidelines for addressing the opinion of students in the context of the stated topic are outlined by two aspects. First, studies in recent years have focused attention on the special role of students in the transformation processes in the labor market and the economy as a whole (Shinyaeva, Tchape, 2015; Emelin, Shinyaeva, 2023; Poplavskaya, 2023; Velikaya et al., 2024). Second, it is in this social group that changes in the system of values and reproductive attitudes are most clearly manifested: the priority of professional, career, rather than family values, delayed parenthood, and the attitude to small children (Nazarova, Zelenskaya, 2021; Rostovskaya et al., 2023).

Materials and methods of the research

In the course of the work, we used a qualitative method of sociological data collection – an extended essay with a focus on a given topic. When choosing it, we relied on the position of scholars who emphasize the priority of qualitative methods in research with a focus on value aspects, which are centered on new, non-mass phenomena expressed in individual judgments (Kishinskaya, 2011). The choice of the search strategy in the qualitative paradigm is due to the fact that both corporate demographic practices and perceptions of them are a very new phenomenon for social science and social practice, which has an ambiguous, subjectively colored assessment.

The empirical base of the study was 169 essays of students from universities in three federal districts of the Russian Federation – Northwestern, Siberian, and Ural. We selected two higher education institutions in each district: in the Northwestern District, it was Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI” and Cherepovets State University, in the Siberian District –

Table 2. Distribution of interview participants according to selection criteria

Areas/profiles of study	Total	Humanitarian, social, economic		Natural		Engineering
Northwestern District	56	male	female	male	female	м male	female
Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI”	28	4	5	6	4	5	4
Cherepovets State University	28	5	5	5	4	5	4
Urals Federal District	56	male	female	male	female	male	female
Ural Federal University	28	4	6	5	4	5	4
Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management	28	4	5	5	5	5	4
Siberian Federal District	56	male	female	male	female	male	female
Irkutsk State University	29	4	5	5	5	5	5
South Ural State University	28	4	6	5	4	5	4
According to: research data.

Irkutsk State University and Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management, in the Ural District – Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin and South Ural State University. The participants of the study were third- and fourth-year undergraduate students. In addition to the course of study, the selection criteria were the direction of study and gender (Tab. 2) .

An essay as a method of qualitative sociological research is to some extent similar to a focused interview, when respondents answer open-ended questions, and additional questions aimed at deepening the topic presuppose the specification of subjective ideas about the subject of the researcher’s interest. The specificity of the essay is that it is a whole argument essay on a given topic in a free creative individual-authored manner. The proposed plan/guide of the essay only provided a focus on the topic, served as a guide, but did not limit the authors. The use of projective techniques in the guiding questions strengthened the creative component, allowing revealing the uniqueness of opinions more deeply. This format makes it possible, on the one hand, to preliminarily systematize the information necessary for the research without missing the most significant aspects, and on the other hand, to obtain it in a detailed and emotionally colored form.

In modern development conditions, qualitative methods rely on information technologies, which serve the purpose of improving the tools and popularizing the methods themselves. Students wrote their reflections in Yandex-forms on the topic of corporate policy in the sphere of demography and family support, on the balance of their career and reproductive attitudes, on their dream job, on the dependence of their plans to create a family and have children on their work and career.

The application of Yandex-forms allowed forming an electronic database of qualitative sociological data, supplementing the analysis of meanings and content with methods of statistical analysis of text.

We used the logic of studying a specific problem field, identifying the relationship between students’ perceptions of corporate demographic practices of business and commitment to family and parenthood attitudes. For this purpose, we developed our own methodology of typologization by the level of commitment to these attitudes.

To build a typology of the level of expression of attitudes to family and parenting, we used elements of cluster and content analysis, analysis of the frequency of use of words and phrases-markers, performed in Excel and specialized data processing program SPSS. We identified four types of family and parenting attitudes:

• 1)    high level of expression of attitudes toward creating a family and having children;

• 2)    average level of expression of attitudes toward creating a family and having children;

• 3)    delayed nature of the realization of reproductive attitudes;

• 4)    expressed attitudes toward small children or unwillingness to have children.

We applied answers and reflections to the questions to categorize an individual into one or another type: “Are you married? When (at what age) and under what conditions do you plan starting a family? Will you register your marriage or not? How many children would you like to have? When, at what age do you plan to have your first child? If you do not plan to have children in the next ten years, why?” .

To divide into types, scores were assigned to each indicator question. The indicators of type separation were the following:

• 1)    time of marriage (immediately after graduation or during education – 3 points; in the next two to three years after graduation – 2 points; closer to 30 years of age and later – 1 point);

• 2)    time of the first-born child’s birth (during higher education and immediately after graduation – 3 points; three to five years after graduation – 2 points; closer to the age of 30 and later – 1 point);

• 3)    desired number of children (three or more, two children with the possibility of a third only under certain conditions – 3 points; two children – 2 points; one child and no children – 1 point);

• 4)    emotional attitude toward marriage and family (positive, strongly emotionally colored – 3 points; neutral – 2 points; negative – 1 point).

According to the indicator model, the sum of scores could vary from 4 to 12. The study participants who scored 10–12 points were referred to the group with a high level of expression of attitudes toward family formation and childbirth; students with the sum of 8–9 points – to the group of average level of expression of attitudes to family formation and childbirth; 6–7 points – to the group of “delayed realization of reproductive attitudes”; 4–5 points – to the group of “weakly expressed attitudes to family”.

Table 3 presents an example of indicator phrases to categorize individuals into one type or another.

Table 3. Characteristic statements-markers for determining the types of expression of students’ attitudes toward family and parenthood

Type	Informant’s data	Are you married? When (at what age) and under what conditions do you plan starting a family? Will you register your marriage or not?	How many children would you like to have? When, at what age do you plan to have your first child? If you do not plan to have children in the next ten years, why?
1 type. High level of expression of attitudes toward family formation and childbirth	F, ISU, Irkutsk	“I got married at 22 ... before the fourth year of my bachelor’s degree. The marriage is registered, we immediately indicated to each other that we wanted a proper, full-fledged family”	“In good conscience, I would like to have exactly two children....– two children instead of two adults. Under ideal conditions of existence, not survival - three or four... Preferably in the near future, as long as I have enough health and nerves”
	M, NSUEM, Novosibirsk	“I’m single, I would like to have a family at the age of 24 or so. Marriage is obligatory for registration”	“I would like to have 2–3 children, with the first born around age 25.”
	F, SUSU, Chelyabinsk	“I am not married, but I have always wanted to get married....I believe that marriage should be registered. It simplifies many aspects of bureaucracy anyway, not only when you have children, but also when it’s just the two of you”	“I would like to have many children. My (parental) family only has two children, but there are many examples of large families in my life and I have always enjoyed their interaction with each other”
	М, ChSU, Cherepovets	“I am married, one year in a registered marriage”	“Four, I think, in the near future.”

End of Table 3

Type	Informant’s data	Are you married? When (at what age) and under what conditions do you plan starting a family? Will you register your marriage or not?	How many children would you like to have? When, at what age do you plan to have your first child? If you do not plan to have children in the next ten years, why?
2 type. Average level of expression of attitudes toward family formation and having children	М, ISU, Irkutsk	“I am not married, I plan to start a family after 25, when I have the opportunity and financial stability. Of course, I will register my marriage”	“I would like two children, I plan to have my first child at the age of 25–27, subject to my own financial stability and independence, having a regular income, in an ideal situation my own home or the means to buy in the near future”
	F, UFU, Yekaterinburg	“I’m not married. If I take all factors into consideration, I would like to get married at the age of 19–21....Yes, I would like to legitimize the relationship with my boyfriend”	“I would like to have 1–2 children, for me this is the best number of children in the family. I would like to have my first child after the age of 24, but we should remember about how things will be with money and other things. The second baby I would want after the age of 27.”
	F, SUSU, Chelyabinsk	“...I’m not married. But I would very much like to start a family around 25–27 years old. For this, of course, I need a job with a constant sufficient income and good working conditions. I would like to register my marriage”	“I would like to have two children. I would like to have my first child before the age of 30. In the most ideal variant about 25-27 years old. As I believe that by this age it is possible to achieve some success in career and a decent standard of living”
3 type. Postponed nature of realization of reproductive attitudes	F, ETU “LETI”, Saint Petersburg	“I plan starting a family in about 10 years, when I will be around 30–35 years old. By that time, I will have a higher education, a good job and financial stability. This will make me feel ready for the responsibility and care of a family”	“It’s hard for me to say exactly how many children I would like to have....It’s important to have and raise at least one child first to understand what it’s like to be a parent....I plan to have my first child ... when me and the potential father are in our early 30s”.
	М, SUSU, Chelyabinsk	“I’m not married. I haven’t thought about it yet. Tentatively, I plan to start a family as soon as I am sure that I will be able to provide all the needs necessary to maintain a family home”	“I don’t plan to have children in the next ten years, as I believe I will be unable to provide for them financially and give them proper upbringing in the near future”
4 type . Weakly expressed attitudes towards family, attitudes toward small children or unwillingness to have children	F, UFU, Yekaterinburg	“I’m single. I haven’t thought about starting a family yet”	“I’m planning one child....not until I’m 30.”
	F, SUSU, Chelyabinsk	“I’m single and have no plans to start a family”	“I wouldn’t want to have children.”
	М, ETU “LETI”, Saint Petersburg	“I am single. I plan to get married and formalize it after graduation, at the age of about 25–26 years”	“The best option would be 1 child. Then I can give him maximum attention. You can have a child already in marriage.”
	F, ETU “LETI”, Saint Petersburg	“Unmarried, fortunately....during my studies family will interfere with me, after 25 years, when I will stand on my feet, have a good stable high-paid job, next to me will be a reliable man who understands his obligations. I don’t see the point in marriage”	“I wouldn’t want any at all for now. I don’t like children, I’m very selfish.”
According to: research data.

Qualitative research does not involve quantitative measurements, and the requirement of sample representativeness does not apply to it. At the same time, our methodology was aimed at integrating qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis. Application of elements of cluster and content analysis allows systematizing textual information. Quantitative characteristics of the text, such as frequency of references to certain topics, clustering by similar features in combination with the analysis and interpretation of the underlying meanings of statements, makes it possible to identify hidden links between different elements of the text, classify and categorize information for further analysis.

It seems important to show the empirical structure base in accordance with the constructed typology for a deeper understanding and characterization of the research participants. The first type – a high level of expression of attitudes toward family formation and childbirth – was assigned to 29 essay authors (17%); the second type – an average level of expression of attitudes toward family formation and childbirth – 79 students (47%); the third type – a delayed nature of reproductive attitudes realization – 44 students (26%); the fourth type – weakly expressed attitudes toward family, expressed attitudes toward small children or unwillingness to have children – 17 students (10%).

The analysis of students’ perceptions and expectations of future work and the identification of the dependence of these expectations on value orientations allows us to outline some scenario lines of possible development of the situation, to determine the mechanisms of influence on attitudes and expectations.

Results and discussion

To analyze the students’ awareness of corporate demographic policy practices, we identified the following corporate demographic policies based on the classification proposed earlier:

• 1)    health care for the employee’s family members (corporate family voluntary medical insurance (VMI), the possibility of pregnancy under VMI, family resort and sanatorium vouchers, etc.);

• 2)    assistance in the upbringing, development, education, and organization of leisure activities for employees’ children (assistance in placing children in kindergarten and school, children’s health camps, vacation programs, vacation matinees, excursions for employees’ children, etc.);

• 4)    creating conditions for combining job and parental responsibilities (flexible schedule, remote work, children’s areas in the office, corporate volunteer nannies, etc.).

Data analysis showed that students know much more about measures of material support for families: payments and gifts for the birth of the first and subsequent children, one-time payments and supplements to allowances for large families, etc. There is less information about the employer’s assistance in the upbringing, development and organization of leisure activities for employees’ children. Examples are usually given based on personal experience – childhood memories of “Christmas trees at father’s work”, trips to summer

Table 4. Students’ awareness of corporate practices to support employees with parental responsibilities and their families (number of references according to the clusters of the main directions)

Main areas of support for employees’ families	Number of mentions
Material payments	104
Assistance in upbringing, development, organization of children’s leisure activities	87
Creating conditions for combining job and parental responsibilities	80
Health promotion for family members of employees	59
According to: research data.

Table 5. Prioritizing the importance of corporate practices to support employees’ families when evaluating and selecting an employer

Main areas of support for employees’ families Number of mentions Creating conditions for combining job and parental responsibilities 132 Material payments 104 Assistance in upbringing, development, organization of children’s leisure activities 37 Health promotion for family members of employees 35 According to: cluster and content analysis of survey data. camp “from mother’s work”, excursions to parents’ workplace, etc. The same level of awareness about creating conditions for combining job and parental responsibilities. They mention the possibility to work remotely, paid free days on September 1 for parents of first-graders, farewell to relatives, etc. Awareness of the practices of corporate care for the health of employees’ family members is low (Tab. 4).

It is worth noting that in their reflections on corporate practices of supporting employees’ families, the authors of the essays more often used generalized terms: “social package”, “various social bonuses”, etc., rather than mentioning specific measures, which indicates a very general and superficial idea of students as potential employees about corporate practices of family support.

At the same time, the study proved that the students’ request for the availability of corporate demographic practices in the arsenal of the future employer is high and formed quite clearly. In the system of criteria for evaluating and choosing an employer, the priority is given to two areas – creation of conditions for combining job and parental responsibilities and material payments with a clear advantage of the former (Tab. 5).

Students as potential employees note the special importance of balancing work and free time: flexible working hours, the possibility to work remotely, the practice of creating conditions at the enterprise for the temporary maintenance of children, assistance to the employee in emergency cases when there is no one to leave the child with – nurseries, social nannies, volunteer practices of caring for children.

“... important family support practices at an enterprise should be those that help employees to effectively combine work and personal life, provide support in raising children and create favorable conditions for the health and well-being of the whole family. For me, the most important are flexible working hours, a program to support children’s education, family events and holidays” (F, NSUEM, Novosibirsk).

“...I would like my workplace to be loyal to the fact that I sometimes have to take sick leave because of my child’s illness, that they could give me time off or let me leave early from work, that I could participate in important events related to my child” (F, ISU, Irkutsk).

“Flexible working hours: the possibility to combine work and family life. For example, flexible start and end of the working day, possibility to work from home several days a week, or partially remote work.... Additional vacation, for example, to attend school events, children’s competitions or other family events” (F, ETU “LETI”, Saint Petersburg).

Material support of parenthood is also important, including payments related to the birth of the first and subsequent children, wage supplements and other benefits to large families, provision of free summer recreation for children, reimbursement of expenses for children’s school fees, etc. Such measures are often intertwined with the direction of assistance provided by the enterprise to parental employees in organizing the upbringing, development and leisure of children.

“I would like (employer’s) help with purchasing housing” (F, ISU, Irkutsk).

“I would like to see the following support measures: payments at the birth of children, additional vacation for parents with children, New Year vacations and free gifts for children” (F, UFU, Yekaterinburg).

Comparatively infrequent mentioning of corporate practices of health care for employees’ family members is not due to the fact that students do not consider them important, but due to poor awareness of them. Our study revealed that students dream of the possibility to receive employer’s assistance in terms of medical care, including provision of healthy pregnancy, regular medical check-ups, compensation of expenses for visiting sports facilities, corporate family programs of additional medical insurance. The need to take care of mental health was also voiced – introduction of psychologists in the staff, inclusion of psychologists/ psychotherapists’ services in the VMI package; conducting trainings, seminars aimed at restoring psychological balance, etc.

“It is obligatory extended medical coverage (pregnancy management, etc.) (F, NSUEM, Novosibirsk).

“Compensation for medicine, for expenses for important operations and examinations” (M, ETU “LETI”, Saint Petersburg).

“I would like to see corporate medical insurance for the whole family. Medical care is a priority” (F, ETU “LETI”, Saint Petersburg).

“I would like to see good health insurance for my family and children” (M, ChSU, Cherepovets).

We also revealed the correlation between the assessment of the importance of corporate demographic practices when choosing an employer and the type of expression of attitudes to family and childbirth in the authors of the essays. Table 6 shows the results of cluster and content analysis – frequency of key category mentions in conjunction with the constructed typology. The key category of the analysis was the mention of corporate practices attributed to one or another corporate demographic policy area. The sum of percentages for each column is more than 100 because the study participants mentioned several practices in their reflections.

The authors of essays of the first and second types would most often like to see measures related to working conditions that would allow them to be with their children more often, to participate in their lives. Among the priorities they name the practices of creating conditions for combining job and parental responsibilities: additional weekends

Table 6. Frequency of references to family support practices of employees in reflections on the importance of such practices in the choice and evaluation of the employer, depending on the type of expression of attitudes toward family formation and having children, % of the total number of informants in each group

Whole array High level of expression of attitudes toward family formation and having children (1 type) Average level of expression of attitudes toward family formation and having children (2 type) Postponed character of realization of reproductive attitudes (3 type) Weakly expressed attitudes towards family, attitudes toward small children or unwillingness to have children (4 type) Creating conditions for combining job and parental responsibilities 78 76 73 61 35 Material payments 62 72 70 48 100 Assistance in upbringing, development, organization of children’s leisure activities 22 28 42 23 35 Health promotion for family members of employees 21 18 20 7 12 According to: cluster and content analysis of survey data. and vacations for family reasons, flexible schedule to see/meet children from school, to be with them on important dates, the possibility of remote work. The authors of essays with a high level of expression of attitudes toward family and parenthood more often demonstrate interest in corporate care for the health of family members.

“I imagined my future family, then free schedule becomes very important, because children are sometimes unpredictable story, it is difficult to combine a clear schedule with family” (F, NSUEM, Novosibirsk, type 1).

“... corporate calendar of family events, additional vacation days on Father’s and Mother’s Day, just so that you don’t have to go out to work on holidays, assistance in placing a child in a kindergarten/ school, if necessary, discount on the child’s visits to sections and schools of additional education” (F, ETU “LETI”, Saint Petersburg, type 1).

“If you dream, then do not deny yourself anything – maybe the employer will give family vouchers to sanatoriums, at least once every 2 years. Maybe a certificate for a full medical examination, that would be just great!” (F, ETU “LETI”, Saint Petersburg, type 2).

Students with a low level of expression of attitudes toward the family, the attitude toward delayed parenthood and small children noticeably more often than others give preference to material payments, in general show poor awareness and less interest in the practices of supporting the family of workers. Authors of essays of the third and fourth types, when discussing the need/importance of flexible hybrid schedule and “remote work”, sometimes mention that it is necessary for the family. However, the style of statements shows that they are more concerned about their own comfort. In this context, they are typical “Zoomers” (Zarubina, 2012; Volkova, Chiker, 2016): they like comfort, rewards and bonuses, interesting trainings and education, they are ready to change jobs if their values are not shared, the balance “personal time – work” is distributed in favor of personal time.

“I dream of a remote job or a job with a flexible schedule. Important criteria when choosing a place to work: salary, boss, schedule, team. It is important that the work was interesting for me, there were no routine tasks, the boss was in the position under arising circumstances. If there are some material bonuses – super” (F, NSUEM, Novosibirsk, type 4).

“Characteristics of my dream job: high salary; career growth; ease of work; adequate and friendly team. What kind of job or employer it will be does not matter. The main thing is my personal satisfaction” (M, ISU, Irkutsk, type 3).

Table 7. Assessment of the impact of corporate demographic practices on the reproductive behavior of employees, as a percentage of the number of students in each typological group

	Whole array	High level of expression of attitudes toward family formation and having children (1 type)	Average level of expression of attitudes toward family formation and having children (2 type)	Postponed character of realization of reproductive attitudes (3 type)	Weakly expressed attitudes towards family, attitudes toward small children or unwillingness to have children (4 type)
They certainly have an impact	52	54	60	50	14
They affect other employees’ reproductive plans, but not my plans	13	14	13	10	21
It’s nothing more than a nice bonus, with little effect on reproductive plans	19	18	14	19	50
They have no impact	16	14	13	21	14
According to: cluster and content analysis of survey data.

“If about a dream, the best thing is to be paid for nothing...” (M, UFU, Yekaterinburg, type 4).

“I dream of working from home or work from home if possible (if I want, I go; if do not want – do not go). Hourly rate from 500 rubles/hour is important.” (F, ChDU, Cherepovets, type 3).

Another important aspect of the study is the assessment of the impact of corporate demographic practices on the reproductive behavior of employees. Students with a high and medium level of expression of attitudes toward family creation more often note the impact of these measures on the change of reproductive behavior, both their own and others’ (Tab. 7).

The productivity and importance of corporate demographic policy, in their opinion, lies in the reduction of barriers to the realization of reproductive plans of employees, comfortable achievement of work-family balance, the effect for the employer is to increase the loyalty and retention of employees at the enterprise.

“I believe that corporate family support measures influence family formation and having children. If a person is sure that the company will help to ensure a balance between family and work ... then the employee will want to stay in such a company as long as possible. In the absence of such measures in the company ... he is unlikely to decide to increase his family” (F, ETU “LETI”, Saint Petersburg, type 1).

“... corporate family support measures cannot “force” employees to create families and have children, but they can create favorable conditions, remove barriers and make this decision more accessible and comfortable” (M, NSUEM, Novosibirsk, type 2).

“Yes, I think it affects me in a positive way. It would encourage me to start a family” (F, SUSU, Chelyabinsk, type 2).

“Employee support measures can definitely influence their family plans, as one of the reasons holding people back from having children and getting married is insecurity about their financial situation, this is a problem that is solved by such measures” (M,

ChSU, Cherepovets, type 1).

Students with weakly expressed reproductive attitudes more often hold the opinion that corporate demographic practices are nothing more than a pleasant bonus. They can cautiously recognize the impact of such measures on the behavior of “other workers”, while they deny the impact on changing their own reproductive plans.

“For someone, perhaps, it (corporate demographic practices) will be important, but for me it may be just an additional bonus and will not affect my plans to create a family in any way” (F, ISU, Irkutsk, type 4).

“It will be a nice bonus, but it will not affect in any way because having children is more serious than just having extra privileges for it” (M, ETU “LETI”, Saint Petersburg, type 3).

“My plans will not be affected in any way. I will not love my children because my employer will pay for their vacations, lunches, etc.” (F, ETU “LETI”, Saint Petersburg, type 4).

“I believe that corporate support measures from the employer can be useful for employees who already have families. But such measures will not change my plans in any way. Having a child in the family is a responsible and financially costly event.... I am not ready” (F, NSUEM, Novosibirsk, type 3).

Thus, the study proves the correlation between the expression of attitudes toward family formation and childbirth and the assessment of the impact of corporate demographic practices on reproductive behavior.

Conclusion

The active formation of the institution of corporate citizenship in the demographic sphere determines the special relevance of research in this area. One of the main prerequisites for such a process is the government’s interest in the inclusion of the corporate sector in the implementation of priority national goals in the field of demography (development of tools for independent assessment of companies taking into account their contribution to the solution of socially important tasks, RSPP competitions, EPS-rating and support of its leaders, information support of corporate demographic practices, etc.). The interest of the business community is also evident: the implementation of corporate demographic policies is seen as a tool for building up human capital, a condition for successful competition for personnel and, on this basis, for maintaining greater business stability. The creation of conditions for combining professional and parental trajectories due to corporate demographic policy becomes a factor of positive change in the family and reproductive behavior of employees.

In the forecast aspect of the situation development, the opinion of potential employees – students of Russian universities – is of particular interest, namely, to determine the level of their awareness of and interest in the practices of corporate demographic policy.

The study showed that students in Russian regions have a low level of awareness of corporate practices of supporting employees’ families at enterprises. According to the participants, employers rarely broadcast information about measures of social support for employees’ families in the external environment and purposefully tell students about them as future employees. One of the practically significant conclusions of the study is the need to build a system of informing young people in Russian society, in particular students, about corporate demographic policies implemented by the country’s enterprises.

When selecting and evaluating future employment, the most important of corporate demographic practices of business students name the creation of conditions for combining professional and parental responsibilities (flexible work schedule, opportunity to work remotely) and measures related to material support of family workers (lump-sum and one-time payments, benefits, free services).

The study confirmed the hypothesis about the mutual influence of interest in corporate demographic practices and the expression of students’ attitudes toward family and parenthood.

On the basis of the developed our own methodology, students were typologized according to the level of expression of attitudes to creating a family and having children. We identified four types: high level of expression of attitudes toward family creation and childbirth, average level of expression of attitudes toward family creation and childbirth, delayed realization of reproductive attitudes, weakly expressed attitudes toward family. According to the research data, students with a high level of expression of attitudes toward family creation demonstrate a higher level of awareness of corporate demographic practices and family support measures and a higher assessment of the importance of such practices when choosing and evaluating an employer. On the one hand, this indicates a higher interest in such information. But there is also a possible inverse relationship, which is important for predicting the development of the situation: more informed students are less likely to show a tendency to postpone their reproductive and marriage plans, assuming future employer support.

The revealed conjugation of the demand for the practices of corporate demographic policy and the level of expression of attitudes toward family and childbirth among future employees allows drawing a conclusion about the importance of targeted activities to form and increase the importance of family values both at an early age and among students. In addition, the results of the research in this part have great practical significance and will be useful for employers to adjust their social policy, provide an understanding of how to make corporate assistance to employees’ families more targeted, identify special categories among employees: families with many children, newlyweds, firstborn parents, etc., and offer them specific support measures.

We should emphasize that the search strategy chosen by us in the qualitative paradigm has confirmed its heuristic potential. This is another aspect of scientific novelty of the study. Our own methodology, based on the integration of methods of analysis and understanding of meanings and statistical methods of analysis of qualitative sociological data, made it possible to reveal hidden connections, build typologies, classify and categorize information, and draw deeper conclusions.

Thus, the research results lead to the conclusion that Russian students need to form ideas about the possibility of effectively combining professional and parental trajectories thanks not only to support from the state, but also to a more targeted demographic policy of the employer. Corporate demographic practices of business have the potential to influence the reproductive behavior of young people, thus contributing to the achievement of strategic national goals to build human capital and overcome demographic challenges. These processes need constant research monitoring and scientific support.