Factors of Inequality of Russians' Life Chances (Empirical Analysis)

Abstract

The article, based on the data from the eighth wave of all-Russian Monitoring carried out by Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS in April 2018, presents the results of the analysis of factors that determine individual’s position in the space of life chances and risks. As shown by the multinomial regression analysis, the risks of falling into the deprived strata are largely related to the ascriptive characteristics of the individual, primarily – with his health, male gender and place of residence. In particular, the increased risks of deprivation for Moscow residents have been identified, which may be associated with a high share of the first-generation migrants among them, who are in a situation of the high probability of long-term unemployment, income instability and non-compliance of their basic labor rights. The scale of this problem is so great that all mass strata of the Moscow residents demonstrate relatively worse indicators in this respect in comparison with residents of other cities, although However, hereditary Muscovites are in a privileged position relatively to the inhabitants of other locations. It is also demonstrated that the expansion of life chances, in contrast to their narrowing relative to the current standard of life chances and risks in modern Russian society, is primarily due to specifics of the resource endowment of individuals. High-quality human and cultural capital, the presence of high-potential social contacts, the habit of planning one’s life and accepting own responsibility for it significantly expand the life chances of Russians while minimizing the risks. The interaction of these factors provides a cumulative effect and shows itself in the accumulation of the human potential of highest quality, contributing to the further expansion of life chances. This is also facilitated by the transfer of key resources in the process of the upper strata’s social reproduction.