Evaluation of social attitude of modern youth to family planning

Everybody knows the rhyme – “first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a carriage”. Several decades ago it would have seemed absurd to question the role of marriage as it was considered central to the organization of adult life. Nowadays, throughout the world and amongst many different cultures, attitudes towards marriage are diverse [1]. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two million American couples are married, but statistics can't tell us how many of them are really happy. The number of marriages has reached 2,245,404; whereas the number of divorces is registered at 827,261 in 44 reporting States and D.C. [2] Therefore, it is not surprising that attitudes toward marriage can be both positive and negative, depending on the person’s experience. According to Bharsakharte, people come with different opinions: in modern society, people are against marriage, because it is considered an old concept and a lifestyle that no longer works in the modern complex world [3].

Many individuals aged 18-25 postpone marriage and children in order to attend school and participate in other explorative opportunities; most do not feel as though they are adults yet and believe that they are still on their way to adulthood. Increased societal acceptance of divorce, non-marital pregnancies and premarital cohabitation have destabilized the marriage rate. The institution of marriage has changed, reflecting the educational level of women, potential earnings and participation in the labor force [4].

Demographer Shelly Lundberg, Ph.D. of University of California in Santa Barbara, and economist Robert Pollak, Ph.D. of Washington University in St. Louis, examined the changing sensitivity to marriage, using economics as a measurement tool. Lundberg and Pollack argue that families with high incomes and high levels of education have the greatest incentives to maintain long-term relationships. Researchers suggested that nowadays, in the 21st century, the main marriage function is to provide a long-term stable home for children, which suggests that investment in offspring has become a driving force in preserving the institution of marriage [5].

The Pew Research Center reports that millennials are significantly less likely to be married in their 20s than previous generations [6]. Johnson et al. suggested that people who marry earlier rather than later may face greater problems due to the additional responsibilities of starting a family at a relatively early age. This may include great difficulties in achieving their educational goals or investing additional time needed to start a career. Early marriage can also occur due to increased pressure from family members or an unexpected pregnancy, which can lead to greater emotional distress [7].

Considering that early marriages were the norm just a few generations ago, the shift we see toward later-life marriages at the present time may mean a happier life in general for people who are willing to wait. Interest-based explanations for attitude change indicate that individual interests and goals stimulate attitude development; as one’s interests and goals change, so will one’s attitudes [8].

However, despite demographic shifts, marriage has a significant value for the individual, families and society, since the institution of marriage is a tradition that continues to thrive in many cultures.

Materials and Methods

The purpose of the survey is to determine the social attitude of young people towards the creation of a family using an online questionnaire (Table 1). The subjects of the research include 84 respondents (F = 36, M = 48) aged from 18 to 25 years old. The total number of the respondents is 36 female respondents (42.9%) and 48 male respondents (57.1%).

Table 1. The attitude of young people to family planning

Results and conclusions

The results obtained showed that 83.3% of the respondents are single; 83.3% of the respondents would like to get married, and 40.5% of the respondents believe that they are ready for family life. More than half of the respondents (57,1%) consider the most appropriate marriage age to be between 20-25 years. It is noteworthy that 88.1% of the respondents believe that officially registered marriage is more reliable than partnership. The overwhelming majority of the respondents (85.7%) prefer love marriage and consider it to be more stable. The majority of the interviewees (61.9%) believe that they need to live together before marriage. As far as family parameters are concerned, 90.5% of the subjects consider marital fidelity to be an important criterion for the family. 59.5% of the respondents report that a husband should be the family breeder, whereas 40.5% believe that it is the responsibility of the two spouses to support the family. Similarly, most respondents (59.5%) report that both spouses should keep the household. 45.2% of the survey participants attach a great importance to the housing issue. It is worth noting that 47.6% are ready to abandon their careers for the sake of the family.

Conclusion

The analysis of the research results showed that young people have a positive attitude towards family planning as a whole. They perceive family planning as an important component of their lives. Furthermore, they consider love to be the fundamental motive for making decisions on marriage. However, it has become a new trend among modern youth to live together before marriage. In general, Russian adults are ready to create a family.