Transformation of a large family model as a basic element of Russia's sustainable development

The study reviews the role of the family as a basic element of the sustainable development of society, a provider of the nation’s survival. Family institution has been transformed against a background of rapid ideological modifications in modern Russian society. These changes had a negative impact on the social and economic sectors and led to a demographic threat to the security of the country. The authors reveal that people’s social well-being in Russia will be achieved if a large family based on the ideas of responsible parenthood and a healthy lifestyle becomes a core of the Russian middle class. The results of a survey conducted in 2017 (involved 340 students of Kuban State Agrarian University) make it possible to identify the reproductive life plans of the Russian young people and their attitude to starting a large family. A survey reveals new measures to support large families and enhance fertility. State support for better housing conditions of Russian citizens, especially young people, positively affects the well-being of families and can help the younger generations fulfill their reproductive life plans (desires). Measures to improve the social and demographic situation in the country are proposed. They are to address the primary social stratification concerns of a modern family. One such measure implies the people-centered housing support for large families. This state economic mechanism will improve the housing conditions of households with many children, reduce social inequalities, and create a favorable environment for raising the young generation.