Models of the future life in the biographical project of high school students

The processes of individualization, destandardization of the life trajectory, the weakening of cultural continuity in modern society force the individual to rethink and correct his own life trajectory at different stages of personal history. Modern sociology pays special attention to perceptions of the future as a social fact that influences social outcomes for individuals. The article examines the image of the future in the context of an individua’s biographical project through the example of the plans for life of high school students in St. Petersburg. Special emphasis is placed on the relationship between the desired image of the future, life ideals, plans and strategies, which gives the key to understanding modern socio-cultural transformations at the level of individual persons. Quantitative and qualitative methods of study made it possible to find and describe types of ideas about the future and the factors that determine them. Three models of gender-marked ideas of high school students about their future family life and professional trajectory were identified based on the analysis of intersections of gender representations and reproductive intentions. Traditional, neo-traditional, and emancipatory meanings are analyzed in the context of biographical project. It is shown that religiosity (the importance of God) is connected neither with the solution of existential issues by teenagers nor with their subjective well-being, i.e., realizes neither the worldview function nor the compensatory one. The connection of religiosity with the reproduction of traditional values allows us to consider it as an axiological component of biographical project. The results indicate that family and childbearing generally remain significant for high school students although the alternative intention toward a non-family future is also clearly seen in biographical project.