Young family in a metropolis: demographic aspect

The article deals with the demographic characteristics of young families. The relevance of the study is due to the key role of young families in determining the demographic prospects of society development. First of all, it refers to the birth rate, the level and trends of which depend on the reproductive behavior of a young family. The aim of the work is to identify the peculiarities of the formation and fertility of young families in the metropolis of Moscow. The analysis, based on the data from the 2020 census and current statistics, showed that, on average, people in Moscow get married later, especially women. The share of those whose marital relations are not registered is significantly higher in the capital. At the same time, the share of those born out of registered marriages is lower in Moscow than in Russia as a whole and in the urban population of the country. And this applies primarily to those born registered at the joint request of their parents. Later marriage (at least its registration) entails a later start of childbearing. However, a comparative analysis of the indicators of Moscow and Saint Petersburg shows that the significant one-time birth allowance for young families in Moscow probably partially counteracts the tendency to postpone childbearing. Data from the 2020 census showed that the average number of children in a young family unit in Moscow is lower than in Russia as a whole and in the country’s urban population. Accordingly, the share of young married couples with children is lower, but the share of mothers with children is slightly higher, and the share of fathers with children is more than twice as high.