10 December 2003 14:44
One in three Russian children born out of wedlock - census
Moscow, 10 December: One in every three Russian children is born out of wedlock, women tend to regard themselves as
marrying, while men see themselves as bachelors. Those are the results of the All-Russian Population Census featured in
a brochure published by Goskomstat [State Statistics Committee] today.
The results of the census showed that, over the last 13 years, the number of married couples in Russia fell by 2m,
Goskomstat Chairman Vladimir Sokolin said at a news conference. In 1989, when the final Soviet census was carried out,
the Russian Federation had 36m married couples. Now there are 34m, and 3m of them are in civil marriages which have not
been officially registered. Almost one-third of children (30 per cent) are now born into this type of family.
However, Sokolin said, nowhere near all those who have decided to cohabit believe that they are bound by family ties.
The number of women who see themselves as married exceeds the number of married men by 65,000. And this gap has trebled
since 1989. The number of people who have never been married, as well as the number of people who have divorced, has
also risen, by 40 per cent.
The census also showed that the average woman now has fewer children, and later. The average Russian family has two
to three people. Statisticians warn that, if this continues, the country's population will fall. For the Russian
population to remain at least at current levels, each woman must have at least two children. At present, the birth rate
is 1.3 children to each woman.
According to Sokolin, 100,000 copies of the brochure featuring the main findings of the census have been published.
It will be sent to libraries, higher education establishments, the authorities and international organizations. Next
year, Goskomstat plans to publish a formidable 14-volume set on the results of the census.
[ITAR-TASS news agency] |
RUSSIA IN FACTS
