Reproductive attitudes of youth

Abstract

The article presents the results of a sociological study aimed at identifying the reproductive attitudes of young people, namely: the study of the desire and willingness of young people to have children, ideas about the ideal, desired and expected number of children in the family, the identification of barriers affecting the decision to have a child. The place of reproductive attitudes in the system of life values of young people has been determined. The factors influencing the reproductive attitudes of young people are described. The empirical basis was the results of the author's sociological research conducted by the method of Internet questionnaire in the period (n= 200), on the target sample. Respondents aged 18 to 35 were interviewed. According to the results of the study, it was found that young people mostly perceive the birth of children positively: thoughts about children and pregnancy cause pleasant feelings, and motherhood is not associated with material difficulties. At the same time, the majority of respondents share the mindset of having no more than two children, and postponing the birth of the first child until the age of 25-29. Among the factors determining the reproductive attitudes of young people are marital status, the model of the parent family and the level of education. It is particularly necessary to note the difficulties faced by young people after the birth of children: the social well-being of young parents, as well as the financial situation. Based on the results of the study, recommendations are proposed for optimizing measures of socio-demographic policy in the field of fertility and family.