The rural family is a social institution that acts as an element of the structure of rural society and is a complex of formal and informal norms, some of which (formal) are rooted in the minds of rural residents, while others (informal) are increasingly firmly established in their behavior.

The institution of the modern rural family as a subsystem of the family institution has its main characteristics, on the one hand, and on the other, features characteristic of rural society, which determines the ambivalence of its existence, expressed in the symbiosis of modernity and patriarchy in the minds of members of family groups.

The adaptation of a modern rural family to the conditions of social reforms is determined by both objective and subjective factors. Objective factors include, first of all, place of residence (district center or village), the level of economic development of the settlement, as well as the socio-demographic characteristics of the family. Among the subjective characteristics are her interests and needs, social attitudes, norms and values.

The concentration of population and the polarization of villages had a particularly strong impact on the results of agriculture in the Non-Black Earth Region, with its small settlements and mosaic lands. The previous census in 2002 did not change the picture dramatically, although the number of dying villages with a population of less than 10 people increased from 30 to 35 thousand (22% of all settlements). In addition, in 2002, 13 thousand villages (8% of settlements) were identified throughout Russia in which there was no population left at all.

Compared to most regions of the Center and North-West, the Vologda region is less urbanized (the share of the urban population is 69%) and has an underdeveloped network of cities - local centers. In half of the districts, the centers are either villages (8 out of 26 districts) or urban-type settlements (5 districts). According to statistics, in 2006 the rural population of the Vologda region was 320.9 thousand people (20.1% of the total population).

The rural family in the region as a social institution is still at the epicenter of economic, social, cultural and other problems caused by the current state of the country and the Vologda region. Positive changes in the demographic situation, the physical and moral health of children - future rural workers and defenders of the Fatherland - largely depend on young rural families. A mature rural family significantly influences the life values ​​of its members and the living conditions of the economically active part of the population. Marriage is the most important condition for both the duration and quality of life of rural residents of the region.

In order to help rural families, regional programs provide:

· legislative and executive authorities of the Vologda region - when creating a modern legal framework for the development of the family in the region as a social institution and the formation of state family policy, clearly highlight their rural component;

· local government bodies - to put care of the rural family, especially families in particularly difficult conditions, among their priority tasks; do not allow positions in decisions that lead to a deterioration in the financial situation of rural families;

· political parties - to define in their election platforms and political programs an active position in relation to the family, including rural ones, taking into account that without such attention there is and cannot be serious politics;

· the media - systematically and objectively cover the process of adaptation of Tula rural families to new socio-economic conditions, the active position of the region, municipalities, and non-state actors in family policy:

· scientists of the region - to intensify scientific research of the Vologda rural family, its history, national traditions, current state and development trends.

The basic (most common) type of modern rural family is a nuclear family, with few children (two children), gravitating towards medium children (three children), with a traditional mentality and demonstration of egalitarianism as a sign of a modern way of life, which does not allow this type to be fully attributed to any traditional or modern.

Among the trends characterizing the direction of the processes of modernization of the rural family, the tendencies of the predominance of family self-government over social management, the inclusion of family members in market relations, differentiated adaptation to market conditions, the dominance of kinship relations over marital relations, the preservation of the high prestige of parenthood and the fixation of three children as a desirable and ideal norm stand out. childbearing with prevalent small children.

There are situations in life associated with both professional and social nuances when an institution or individual requires a family reference. This is an official document form provided from an educational institution, workplace or social organization, which describes an individual citizen or an entire family.

As with all types of similar documents (from a school, for a student, for receiving financial assistance, if we are talking about a large family), it must contain a certain list of requirements (a sample is provided). The description must be drawn up in a correct form, restrained, specifically describe the situation in the family and written in the present tense on behalf of a third party. All the facts that the characterization contains are described not on the basis of emotions, but on the existing state of affairs and the real situation.

Instructions

To write a positive description for a family you will need:

1. Observe the family, conduct personal conversations with each of its members, make visits and write down the results of the work done.
2. Availability of family law.
3. Reviews about each of the parents from teachers (they should tell in detail about the life of each of the pupils) about the attitude of the family towards the child (children) and whether the parents cope with their responsibilities.
4. Other opinions.

In order for the family profile to be drawn up correctly, a sample and the following series of actions are required:

• indicate the personal information of each member. For example: father - Sidoro in Alexander Konstantinovich, age - 39 years, education - higher (economics). Mother - Sidorova Natalya Leonidovna, Age - 37 years old, specialized secondary education. Son - Sidorov Alexey Alexandrovich, age - 14 years old, education - studying at school;
• describe the structure (functions of security, stability, open family or hidden, spiritual and moral side of family members, leisure and recreational functions);
• the next point is the psychological climate and psychotype compatibility of its members, i.e. the character, temperament, positive and negative aspects of each member;
• determination of the parental position, in which the goals of adult family members, problems in achieving them (indicating ways to solve them) should be disclosed. This stage is considered one of the main ones in the process of characterization;
• In the final part of the compilation, the behavior and position of the child (children) in the family plays an important role. His degree of trust in adults (parents), goals and aspirations, ways of realizing them, his success as a student and general psychological state of health are clearly noted.

Family characteristics: sample

Total information
Mother - Natalya Leonidovna.

Age – 37 years.

Education – secondary specialized.

Father - Alexander Konstantinovich.

Age – 39 years.

Education: higher economics.

Son - Alexey Alexandrovich.

Age – 14 years.

Education – goes to school.

Structure

The family is characterized as complete, with a male role principle. A small family, homogeneous, with a pronounced patriarchal direction, has a rather hidden structure.

The functions are clearly distributed: financial support and leisure planning are performed by the father, economic, household and, to a greater extent, educational - by the mother. The emotional-therapeutic function is performed competently and stably, the child sees authority in the person of the parents, and his problems are solved together. The security function is satisfactory, there is no lack of love on the part of both parents. My mother is a housewife and is always at home. My father works locally and is often at home. They spend their leisure time together.

The family does not have financial difficulties; the average income per family member is quite high. The apartment has the necessary household appliances and appliances that make everyday life easier.

There are unchanging traditions in the family (holidays are celebrated together, vacation trips as well). They rarely see their relatives, but they keep in touch.

Psychological compatibility

No visible disagreements were found in the interpretation of basic values. Role expectations in the family are quite justified. All family members have standard behavioral stereotypes; there are no deviations.

Psychological climate

Most likely, the climate is favorable; no tendency towards increased conflict and nervousness has been noticed. All family members are satisfied with their social status.
The leading position is occupied by the father as the breadwinner and organizer. When solving pressing issues or problems, the family gathers as a whole for a family council.

Child characteristics: sample

No disturbances or deviations in physical and mental development were noticed.
The mother is involved in raising the child, since the father spends less time at home (due to work). There is no pronounced influence from the mother. There are no excessive demands placed on the child, and there is no particular disagreement in this area. The style of upbringing in the family is democratic. The child is independent in making many decisions, but everything is within reason. He spends his personal time with friends or with his family; his opinion is not suppressed by any of his parents. Education at school is not very strictly controlled. The manifestation of congruence and empathy towards the child is high, no nagging or criticism towards him was noticed.

The teenager does not experience difficulties in learning or communicating with peers. There are no antisocial personalities in his circle of friends. The child is sociable and knows his way around people in everyday life. The role model is the father.

The child's position in the family

The teenager trusts both parents equally, and there are practically no conflicts between them (except for minor everyday ones). The mother shows great emotional attachment to the child, so there are no secrets or scandals between them. The father also does not conflict with any of the family members, having an easy-going character. The son has an equal position with his parents, making decisions together with them regarding problems that arise in everyday life or in communication.

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A family is a small socio-psychological group based on marriage or consanguinity, the members of which are connected by a common life, mutual assistance, and moral responsibility. At the same time, it is a social institution that satisfies the needs of society for the reproduction of the population, the organization of educational work, the implementation of public consumption, the transfer of cultural heritage, etc.

Since the family is an organic unity that makes up a complex system of structural elements and functional interactions, it is impossible to study or describe it in any one way, or to influence one isolated link.

Family life is a process that unfolds over time and occurs in a social environment. The family is one of the most conservative social institutions; it resists change; sometimes it may seem that the waves of social change flow around it like an island in a stormy sea.

In the category of families in need of special assistance, the young family comes first. It took a lot of effort and time for the term “young family” to become established in modern society. This does not mean that any special type of family has formed. Her problems are part of the range of problems of a modern family. Therefore, the attitude towards a young family is determined by the social policy that is pursued in relation to the institution of the family as a whole. At the same time, one cannot fail to take into account the special significance and special function of a young family in the life of society. This must be seen and understood when determining its innovative potential, lifestyle and activities. .

A young family is a family in the first 3 years after marriage (in the case of the birth of children - without limiting the duration of the marriage), provided that none of the spouses has reached the age of 30.

Thus, marriage must come first; duration of marriage up to 3 years; The age limit for spouses is from 18 to 30 years.

The socio-economic crisis in the country, the weakness of state policy, which does not contribute to the strengthening of marriage and family relations, leads to the fact that the largest percentage of divorces occurs in families that have lived for less than 3 - 5 years.

The demographic crisis can be clearly seen in the example of a young family: a decrease in the number of marriages, an increase in the number of divorces, an increase in the number of single mothers, out-of-wedlock births, and an increase in the number of minor mothers.

A young family is one of the most vulnerable groups of the population. A high percentage of young marriages are a consequence of pregnancy or even the birth of a child. Among young people there is a distorted idea of ​​marriage, family, and sex. Every fourth young man is ready for an open relationship, without marriage, but condemns a free sexual life. Among the acquired life values, young people place first place relationships in the family, satisfaction in love, intimate life; Young people also determine the value of marriage by the presence of children.

Public opinion claims that a marriage without children cannot be considered complete (79% of the population). Young people have a strong idea that only a one-child family, or at most a two-child family, corresponds to modern reality.

Creating a family begins with the development of a common lifestyle, with the mutual adaptation of spouses, with the convergence of tastes, etc. Let us consider in detail the period of formation of a young family, as it reveals and defines the main difficulties and problems in the family. It is at this time that a young family needs some support “from the outside” and, thus, becomes the object of social work. The convergence of tastes and assessments among future spouses usually occurs even before marriage. Young people strive to understand, accept, love everything that is dear to him (her). And at the beginning of their life together, the desire of the spouses for even greater spiritual rapprochement, empathy, and the desire to live in each other’s interests is clearly evident. But when the first happy days, weeks, months pass, a person begins to reveal himself from a variety of sides, sometimes not only unexpected for the spouse, but even unwanted. And the first quarrel, the first conflict, the first resentment arises.

Numerous studies by sociologists, psychologists, and teachers indicate that a stable family can be created with a certain readiness of young people for family life. The concept of “readiness for family life” includes social-moral, motivational, psychological and pedagogical readiness.

Psychological work among young people has a great influence on the formation of young families. It is seen as providing the most favorable socio-economic conditions for the development of every young person, contributing to the social development of the individual, his acquisition of all types and freedoms and full participation in the life of society.

The next theoretical point of our work, I would like to note the characteristics of a young family living in urban and rural areas.

Rural culture has received a number of names in the literature: rural type of culture, village culture, village culture, peasant culture. A well-known specialist in the sociology of culture, L.N. Kogan, proposes to distinguish between the concepts of the rural population (it includes everyone who lives in rural areas, including city dwellers and summer residents, villagers working in city enterprises, employees living in the village, but not who are peasants, etc.) and peasants (only those who are engaged in agricultural work and live in the countryside).. When they talk about rural culture, then we should talk about peasants and nothing more. They are the bearers of this culture. L.N. Kogan highlights the following features of rural culture.

1. Uneven workload of agricultural labor throughout the year - extreme stress in summer and spring-autumn, minimal stress in winter. “The excessive intensity of labor during the period of sowing, haymaking, and harvesting, which does not know days off and a fixed working day, is compensated by a large number of holidays, occurring mainly in winter and the off-season period. Therefore, festive culture has always played such a large role in the old village.”

2. Personification of interpersonal relationships, i.e. crowding out and replacing all other types of relationships with confidential personal ones. The village is a small territorial community, all members of which are directly or indirectly related (nephew, godfather, matchmaker, neighbor, etc.).

3. Tight informal control over the behavior of each member of such a local community. The whole life of a peasant - his work, leisure, family life, raising children, matchmaking and acquaintances, friendships, cultural preferences - takes place before the eyes of the entire village. The spirit of a close-knit closed community is gradually being formed, where all is for one and one for all. A high level of mutual control is adjacent to an equally high degree of interchangeability and interchange (of objects, actions). Non-working neighbors provide child care when parents are in the field. On a hayfield or farm. The principles of raising children, choosing a marriage partner and other key issues are subject to collective discussion. Public opinion is expressed about them, which serves as the basis for making an individual decision.

4. The special quality of interpersonal relationships in the village is based on the emphasized rudeness and familiarity of treating each other. Addressing each other with “You” is considered a city feature; “poking” and addressing each other by name (often diminutive: Fedka, Vaska) or only by patronymic, which serves as a name (Ivanych, Kuzmich) is recognized.

5. In the flow of information exchange in the village, the leading role is played by local rumors, local interpretation of historical and national events. Intra-community information dominates over official state information.

6. Almost all village residents have limited life experience: few villagers, especially in the past, left the borders of their village far. Their life is not rich in historical and human events. The local isolation of rural culture forms a special mentality of the villager, who does not understand the rapidly changing city life.

7. The share of collective activity is higher than in the city. As the “Television Audience” study, conducted by Ural sociologists under the leadership of L.N. Kogan, showed, even watching television programs occurs collectively - with the whole family or a group of friends.

8. More attention is paid to ecological culture and environmental protection than in the city.

9. Limited cultural choice. The lack of cultural choice, the inaccessibility for villagers of many types of cultural activities that exist among city residents (visits to museums, theaters, art exhibitions, restaurants, nightclubs, etc.), limits cultural needs and cultural horizons, does not allow the formation of , developed cultural taste, diverse needs, the ability to choose among several films or programs. In the village, especially in the remote areas, they watch and listen to everything that is brought in; most often, the rural repertoire includes something that does not go well in the city, or that has long been out of fashion there.

Cultural lag - the gap in the cultural level between the city and the village eventually reaches catastrophic proportions. True, with the massive spread of television, the former cultural gap is rapidly closing. As a result, dissatisfaction with the quality of cultural life in rural areas, as sociological studies show, is no longer the main reason for migration to the city. When a closed village culture, after many years of lagging behind, suddenly opens up to the world, as has happened today, it begins to be subject to intense expansion of an alien urban culture, and not of the highest quality. In the 90s, low-grade “mass culture” - pornographic and primitive adventure videos - poured into the village in a wide stream. Even before, the village sometimes resembled a “sinkhole” of urban culture. However, during the Soviet years, the flow of low-quality products was held back by ideological restrictions and party control. During the years of economic reforms, there are no obstacles on this path.

10. Early physical labor in the open air formed a different attitude towards physical education. In rural areas, few people do additional narrowly functional exercises (European system, yoga, aerobics) to maintain health. As a result, the organized rhythm of the working day and the ability to rationally approach the expenditure of time and one’s health are largely lost.

Let us now begin to consider the specifics of living in the city. Urban culture (city culture, industrial culture, urbanized culture) is the culture of large and medium-sized non-agricultural settlements, usually large industrial and administrative centers. Small towns and urban-type settlements (from 3 thousand inhabitants) often resemble villages and villages in size and appearance. The level of culture of the residents here is not much different from the village. The higher the degree of urbanization of a settlement and the larger its size, the more it differs in its cultural appearance from the village and rural culture.

The general features of urban culture that distinguish it from rural culture are such features as high density of urban areas; the presence of a large number of transport routes for socio-cultural (yards, streets, avenues, squares, parks) and engineering (highways and transport interchanges, railway junctions and stations, water supply and telecommunication networks) purposes.

The cultural space of the city is organized completely differently than in the countryside; wide opportunities for choosing leisure, everyday life and cultural institutions (culture and recreation parks, attractions, dry cleaners and laundries, cafes and restaurants, theaters and museums, libraries, galleries, dance halls, etc.); the presence of a huge number of strangers (anonymity of social relationships), thanks to which the individual feels more free and relaxed and at the same time gets the opportunity to create or choose a social circle based on interests.

A distinctive feature of the city is loneliness in the crowd, the ability to not communicate with anyone for a long time, the replacement of personal contacts with phone calls, the ability to almost uncontrollably engage in dubious and criminal matters. A characteristic feature of urban life and urban culture is transport fatigue, which occurs as a result of daily travel over long distances and crowded conditions in public transport. Nervous overload can also be caused by a more intense and uniform work rhythm than in the countryside, standing in queues, rush demand and shortages, rallies and demonstrations, constant presence in the crowd (on the streets, in transport, shops).

The urban environment is saturated with a much larger number of harmful and carcinogenic substances than the rural environment. Chlorinated, not spring water, polluted city air due to the large number of cars and factories, increased noise and dust in the atmosphere. Such an environment is more artificial and unusual for the human body than a traditional village one. The fact is that it arose only in the last century and biologically man did not have time to adapt to it. Hence the poor health and the desire of the townspeople to support it with all available means. The level of medical care, the number of visits to doctors and the number of people involved in physical education and health activities in the city is significantly higher than in the countryside. Prolonged isolation from wildlife also has an adverse effect on city dwellers. Hence the mass passion for the gardening movement, which is not typical for villagers. Suburban plots and dachas today are indispensable attributes of urban culture.

If rural culture is characterized by a trinity: the unity of a place of work, a place of residence and a place of recreation, then the opposite trend is characteristic of urban culture. Most cultural and business institutions are concentrated in the city center, and most residents live in the so-called residential areas on the outskirts. Therefore, city residents have to travel in public or private transport much more often and more. Urban residents are more likely than rural residents to go on vacation to other cities and countries.

Review of the family... (last name)

Family... - a large family, which includes... people:

Father – full name, date of birth, place of work, specialty;

Mother – full name, date of birth, place of work, specialty;

School-age children studying at MBOU Secondary School No....:

Full name, date of birth, place of work, class (all children are listed);

The family also has three children of preschool age: ...

The family is complete, prosperous, socially stable, but low-income, since only one father works.

The family lives in a private household at the address ... The social teacher and class teachers of the children in school systematically visit the family at home in order to examine the conditions in which the children live.

The family's living conditions are satisfactory, children are provided with everything necessary for education and recreation, and they come to school clean, well-groomed and tidy. Each child has, albeit small, his own workplace and personal space.

The family leads a healthy lifestyle. Parents have the same requirements for all children.

The style of relations between children and parents is democratic: parents respect the interests of children, develop their inclinations, support creative endeavors, participate in children’s free activities, and develop their social activity.

Mutual respect, trusting communication, sympathy, empathy, support, a sense of responsibility and duty reign in the family. All family members take care of each other and help each other. The family instills hard work and respect for the work of adults. Children are included in the work activities of the family: the older ones help the younger ones and their parents, and work together on the plot.

Parents, and especially dad, constantly monitor the behavior and academic performance of their children. A responsible and conscientious attitude towards learning is fostered in the family. A regime is strictly followed to promote the successful learning of children.

The psychological climate in the family is favorable, the level of trust of children in their parents is quite high. The father enjoys unconditional authority in the family.

Parents pay great attention to the moral education of their children, teach them to correlate spiritual and material values, and balance their needs with their capabilities. Children are introduced to the cultural values ​​of the family, are taught respect for women and mothers, people of the older generation, and are taught hospitality skills.

Parents are in close contact with their children's class teachers and the school administration. Systematically attend parent-teacher meetings, promptly respond to comments from teachers, warn about children’s illness, inform about the reasons for not attending school (they are always valid), and respond to requests from class teachers.

*If the family was awarded diplomas or took part in any competitions or projects, this information must be indicated.

*You can note the successes of the children of such a family, if any.

Class teacher Full name

School Director Full name

1.Features of a rural family

2.Urban family: features and problems

Bibliography

1. Features of a rural family

What heart would not shudder when it sees today's poverty, wretchedness, and ruin of the Russian countryside? The facts are well known and speak for themselves. Salaries, already perhaps the lowest, have not been paid for months. Collapse reigns in farms - sown areas are being reduced, milk yields are falling, and yields are declining. Attempts to introduce market relations have not yet brought anything good to rural residents. If previously only unpromising settlements were dying, now, it seems, large villages are already breathing their last breath: many clubs and first-aid posts are closed, and the cabins have been sold or stolen.

Our society has changed, people’s value orientations have collapsed, and the family has changed. The essence of modern morality is no longer limited to a social-collectivist orientation. The direction vector has changed, but we can’t say for the better yet. The only gratifying thing is that a person is increasingly aware of himself as a free, independent, self-valued person.

The importance of the family in the system of people’s life values ​​is increasingly being established, the need to rely on one’s own strengths in life is being realized, and the desire for self-realization is growing stronger. Apparently, we can agree with the assumption that in “the moral consciousness of Russians the importance of purely personal values ​​will continue to increase at the expense of collectivist, social ones.”

Today, many families differ from each other in relation to our main asset - spirituality: the cult of money has become an idol for some, and the desire to somehow survive for others. Some want to take everything from life, others want to devote their lives to children, family, other people, and the Fatherland. The values ​​of adults, and they are sometimes diametrically opposed, determine family individuality and the personal identity of a person.

The sharp stratification of families by income level sometimes negatively affects the psyche of a growing person and his moral orientations. Equally dangerous for the spirituality of the nation are both the immoral psychology of the growing merchant (“money can do anything”), leading to permissiveness and an unworking lifestyle, and the slavish psychology of the lumpen - a socially inert person, accustomed to a semi-miserable existence and dependency.

Nowadays in the village there are families of entrepreneurs, farmers, and families in which the parents are unemployed. Parents with many children unexpectedly faced new “market” problems. Young people have difficulties with housing, employment, and the birth of “unplanned” children. Pensioners have a hard time experiencing the state of lonely old age, doom, social uselessness, and suffer due to inattention from loved ones. Single-parent families have their own difficulties.

Unemployment, deterioration of people's health, poor socio-cultural services, unemployment of children - all this destabilizes the situation in the countryside and negatively affects the moral and psychological climate, relationships between adults and children. Due to the rise in transport costs, many families have found themselves in a kind of isolation, they are cut off from the larger cultural life, deprived of human communication, which neither radio, nor television, nor newspapers, the availability of which, by the way, has sharply decreased, can make up for. All this creates a feeling among villagers of discomfort and social abandonment in this changed world. By organizing various holidays, meetings of people of different generations, family readings, social educators in this way strive to save people from the information blockade and bring them out of a state of loss.

In rural families, as well as in urban ones, the need to prepare children for social self-defense is realized. Much is done to ensure that children solve problems related to finding a way out of difficulties that have arisen, naturally relying on the advice and support of adults. And this is where difficulties are possible. One of them is caused by the fact that the experience of the older generation no longer corresponds to new social relations. The insufficient level of culture and poorly developed infrastructure of educational institutions in rural areas do not allow many to adapt to modern market conditions and competition.

The rural environment does not have the proper conditions for the normal development of a child’s artistic, musical, mental and physical abilities. The increasing number of closures of preschool institutions does not contribute to this either. Unorganized leisure, homelessness, unemployed children - all this complicates the situation of the family and increases the crime rate of the rural environment. That is why meaningful leisure for all categories of the population is becoming an important area of ​​professional activity for social educators.

It is unlikely that the difficulties experienced by villagers will lead to the breakup of long-term families. The rural family is stable. This is confirmed by diagnostic examinations carried out in the Olonets region of Karelia, where two-parent families with one or two children predominate. There are also many large families here. Rural women, as a rule, are superior to urban women in their ability to endure the difficulties of life. Young people marry early, and primarily for love. However, marriages are not always strong. For example, according to the Center for Social Assistance to Families and Children of the Tavrichesky District of the Omsk Region, three out of four young families are breaking up. The reasons are financial difficulties, lack of housing.

The situation of a rural family is not always clear. In some villages there are practically no brides. There are forty-year-old drinking men who live with old mothers, not thinking about getting married. There are single-parent families, remarriages. There are also young girls who became mothers out of wedlock, but are not ready for motherhood. In the village of Aneyevo, Tyumen Region, M.P. Guryanova happened to meet a sixteen-year-old girl who gave birth to a child from a forty-year-old man who had returned from prison. When asked what prompted this action, the answer was: “It was boring, there was nothing to do.”

It is very difficult for a rural family today. The reasons are different: economic, psychological, everyday, medical, pedagogical. But in all cases, the state seeks to shift the burden of solving social problems onto the family. Parents feel this when they see their standard of living falling. Their deprivation is confirmed by the Center for Sociological Research of the Department of Social Protection of the Moscow Region in 1994. According to scientists, parents’ expenses for buying clothes and shoes for children (by 17%), organizing recreation, vacations (by 20%), and food (by 7%), purchasing books (by 40%). The deterioration of the financial situation of families is also evidenced by the fact that only 0.5% of respondents rated this situation as very good (single-parent and single families are not included in this category), while 3.1% rated it as good (also not in this category). 32.6% of respondents consider their situation to be average, 44% of respondents to be poor, and 11.9% of parents to be very poor. As a result, about 60% of family members are forced to admit that their financial support is poor or very poor.

The stability of a rural family depends on whether adults have financially secure jobs. The collapse of many state and collective farms (the main employers of the village), the closure of industrial enterprises exacerbated the problem of self-survival. Nowadays, an unemployed person, especially one with a family, finds himself in a stressful situation. When there are not enough necessary things in the house - clothes and shoes, food on the table - then all this can become a source of mutual reproaches, discontent, and sometimes tragedies. Many families (especially single-parent families with children, the elderly, and disabled people) benefit from cash payments, but these are, as a rule, insignificant amounts, and they realize their opportunities in the area of ​​so-called secondary employment, i.e. in the field of retraining, part-time work.

It is gratifying that the state takes care of families who find themselves in extreme situations. However, the economic support system today also has a negative side: it can cause dependent, consumerist sentiment. Someone refuses alimony, does not work, but receives benefits. Often women (those who are not averse to drinking) quit their jobs, taking their child out of preschool in order to devote themselves to raising him. The result can be disastrous: abandoned, unfed children, trying to run away from home at the first opportunity and engage in vagrancy. Social workers monitor such trends and strive to prevent them.

Today they are increasingly talking about younger crime, early sexual relationships, an increase in the number of abortions among minors, tobacco smoking, and drug addiction, which also affects the rural population. The availability of all kinds of goods for some, while they are inaccessible to others, encourages many to work hard on their own plots, and some to participate in dubious transactions, while others remain in a state of depression, hopelessness, and social apathy.

We have to admit that the once strong foundations of a rural family, held together by religious and moral values ​​and folk traditions, are beginning to be shaken.

In this regard, it is useful to compare a Russian rural family with a foreign (rural) one.

American sociologists Ehrensburg and Kimball studied the life of peasants in western Ireland. They described how in peasant families there were written and unwritten marriage agreements that determined the economic status, land ownership, kinship ties and social status of the people. If parents live long enough, they receive an old-age pension. It is provided after they transfer their farms to their son or daughter. This is also carried out on the occasion of the marriage of a son. The father leaves himself and his wife a room and the opportunity to use the kitchen, they are provided with all the products. These conditions are discussed in detail during the matchmaking process, and the bride's parents readily agree, realizing that we are talking about the last stage of the farmers' lives. If the daughter-in-law receives proper instructions from her mother, then immediately upon arriving at her husband’s house, she tactfully carries out all the instructions of her mother-in-law, who still feels like a mistress in the house, like a captain on a ship. If her daughter-in-law dared to contradict her, she would face a lot of trouble.”

On the basis of such agreements, the wife became part of her husband's family. The farm, house and household goods were passed down from father to son. While the father was alive, he completely managed the affairs of the entire family. For example, when the local land commissioner allocated work, it was assigned to older men, although in fact it was their sons who performed it. On payday, the “old men” came to receive the money their sons had earned.

The father also supervised other aspects of his sons' lives. The “boys”, aged 45 and 50, drained the fields or sold cattle at the fair under the direction of their father, who made all the decisions. As one of the men complained, “As long as the old man is alive, I will forever remain a boy.” But, despite such complaints, the entire system of these relations was well worked out, “boys” and “girls” successfully adapted to the requirements of the peasant family and coped with their responsibilities. From infancy to 7 years, all children were under the constant supervision of their mother, who worked around the house or in the field. They felt her support, care and love. After the first communion at the age of 6-7 years, there was a clear division between boys and girls, which had an impact on their life experiences. Boys began working on the farm with their fathers and older brothers. Girls stayed at home with their mothers or other older female family members. They were taught to care for pets, garden and do other chores. Young girls and women performed this work under the guidance of their elders.

The clear division of labor according to gender and age principles did not change even after marriage. Fathers still considered their married sons to be "boys" and married women were usually under the control of their mother-in-law. Marriage also provided for the responsibilities of the spouses towards other relatives. Upon marriage, each of them assumed the obligations of his spouse in relation to family members or distant relatives. According to the Irish custom of "friendliness", children were sent to help relatives harvest the harvest or conduct a family function. Even the most distant relatives could count on shelter and food. While fulfilling the generally accepted traditions of "friendliness" was rewarded with praise, failure to fulfill duties was condemned and often punished. "Near R., the owner of a small farm did not cultivate his garden; his father-in-law was forced to send potatoes to his hapless son-in-law; in the end, one night, his wife's angry relatives beat him in his own house."

Domestic rural social educators speak with alarm about the indifference and indifference of many parents to the fate of their own children, about the sharp decline in the role of fathers in their upbringing. More and more families are falling into the “at-risk” category. The tragedy of the modern village is families where parents drink. This social phenomenon is terrible, because it leads to the moral and physical degradation of society. Social assistance to patients suffering from alcohol abuse is becoming the most important function of social services in rural areas.

It is bitter to realize that today, even in rural areas, the number of cases where parents unwittingly push children onto the path of crime has become more frequent. The situation when adults are forced to turn children into a source of income is worthy of regret and indignation. They can be sent to sell alcohol, pornography, and even engage in prostitution. The people closest to you, parents, try to make money from their children, and if it doesn’t work out in this business, they can drive them out of the house or turn their life into absolute hell. Teenagers who did not study anywhere or dropped out of school are a terrible reproach to our reality. Honor and praise to those social educators who strive to prevent or prevent such phenomena.

Among the troubles that have affected rural families is disrespect for old age and elderly people. Kinship extortion as a social phenomenon is generated today by the market element. In one of the Russian villages, I happened to see how an adult, unemployed son robbed a single pensioner mother. Preventing the moral degradation of the individual and saving the family from the social conflict of generations is the most important task of social work in rural areas.

Today, the cultural needs and needs of most rural families are insignificant. The educational level of rural residents is much lower than that of urban residents. The lack of opportunities to satisfy cultural needs cannot be considered the cause of particular discomfort for rural families. Rather, it is the habit of such a way of life that affects the limited cultural life becomes the norm. And often the financial resources earned as a result of extreme efforts are used to satisfy not spiritual, but material needs. It is clear that parents prefer to feed, clothe, put on shoes for the child, buy things and necessary items. Unfortunately, rural people have no place to listen to music, watch a play, socialize in a cultural society, spend a family evening in a decent establishment, and there is no need to dress smartly. The previous cultural, educational, physical culture and health work, as a result of which children received a “start in life,” is barely glimmering.

Social adversity today especially affects the family. How did a normal rural family react to rising prices and unemployment? It turned out that many villagers expanded their subsidiary farming, acquired livestock, and wisely used the summer to make preparations for the winter. The joint work of family members has become the best means in the fight against poverty, want, and unemployment. It is true what they say: work keeps great troubles in check - boredom, vice and need. Thanks to homework, rural children learn the technology of work and treat people with respect. But what to do with the monotony, uniformity, and difficult conditions of peasant labor? All this is unlikely to facilitate the entry of a free person into the world of new socio-economic relations.

I am sure that it is the rural family that contributes to the development of enterprising people, i.e. business executives, future entrepreneurs. Here it is appropriate to recall the words of Ivan Stebut, the patriarch of Russian agriculture: “If you want to support morality among the people, support the family; If you want to keep your family’s health intact, support the village and agriculture.”

The rural family has been and remains the keeper of traditions and the historical memory of their ancestors. Artistic crafts - home weaving, lace weaving, wood carving, embroidery, knitting - are still alive among the people. Possessing undoubted educational potential, today they are used both as a means of subsistence and as a way of self-sufficiency.

The rural family still has strong family ties. According to a survey of families in the Olonetsky district of Karelia (September 1994), 58% of respondents named their relatives among those with whom they communicate most often. The concept of “Father's House” has not been forgotten either. If daughters and sons live in a regional center, town, city, then more often than city dwellers they visit elderly parents living in remote villages, help with housework, drop off grandchildren, do not forget about help during seasonal work, and help financially.

2. Urban family: features and problems

The urban family, as follows from its social status, was and remains the first victim of progress. Among urban families in Russia, nuclear families (childless and one- or two-child families) predominate. The proportion of families consisting only of mother (father) and children is growing. Living together among three generations is becoming increasingly rare, both in cities and in rural areas.

A decrease in the birth rate and the nuclearization of families lead to a reduction in the average family size, a change in the structure of families by the number of members, an increase in the number of families consisting of 2 - 4 people (especially 2) and a decrease in the number and proportion of large families of 5 - 6 or more people . Particularly rapid growth of small families was noted in the 70s. In the 80s, there was an increase in the number of families of 2 (due to the growth of single-parent and other “fragmented families”) and 4 - 5 people (due to a slight increase in the number of families with two children due to the increase in second births in 1983 - 1987) with some reduction of families of 3 people.

Analysis of the distribution of families by their size indicates a steady trend towards an increase in the share of families of 2 people and a decrease in the share of families of 6 or more people in the total number of families both in the city and in the countryside. The share of families of 3 - 5 people changed slightly during the 1980s. Stable differences remain in the structure of urban and rural families. Cities are characterized by an increased proportion of families of 3 - 4 people, mainly due to nuclear and young married people living with one or two parents. In 1989, families of this size made up 55.7% of the urban population, while in rural areas it was only 46.7%. In the rural population, the increased share of families of 2 people is explained by the increase in the number of elderly couples without children - “empty nests” - due to the large migration of young people to the cities. The increased share of families of 5 or more people in the village is mainly due to the higher birth rate.

Russia is characterized by the persistence of significant differentiation in family size and family structure of the population between national-territorial entities and areas of predominantly Russian residence. It is associated, first of all, with large differences in the birth rate, as well as with ethnocultural factors in the formation and development of the family. With an average family size of 3.23 people, the median distribution of regions by family size is 3.19 people, which indicates the asymmetry of the distribution and the predominance of regions with a family size below the average for the Russian Federation.

Analysis of the average family size indicator in a territorial aspect indicates that high family size (3.5 and above) is typical for the autonomous republics, regions and districts of the North Caucasus and Siberia. The largest family size is in the republics with the highest birth rates: Dagestan, Kalmykia, Tuva, Buryatia and Yakutia. The average family size (3.3 - 3.4) is found in the rest of the regions not included in the first group of autonomy and in a number of regions of Siberia and the Far East. The only autonomy ranked among the regions with low family size is Karelia (3.2). The smallest family size is observed in the European part of Russia, especially in the regions of the North-West and Central region (3.0 - 3.1). Fluctuations in the average family size in rural areas are greater: from 5.15 in the former Checheno-Ingushetia to 2.82 in the Pskov region. The share of large families (7 or more people) varies from 17.6% in the former Checheno-Ingushetia to 0.6% in the Ivanovo region.

A large family has long ceased to be typical for Russia. Their number and share in the family structure are decreasing. According to the 1989 census, among urban families only 4.1% had 3 or more children, in rural areas - 10.6%, and on average in Russia - 5.7%. Large families account for 20.5% of the total number of children under 18 years of age. Among urban children, every seventh child grows up in a large family (14.4%), among rural children - more than a third (36%). In Moscow, the share of large families is 1.9%, and 7.9% of children live in them.

The share of singles in the Russian population ranges from 11.2% in the Tver region to 2% in Chukotka. The share of family members living separately ranges from 10.6% in the Magadan region to 3% in the former Checheno-Ingushetia.

Changes in the economic status of families. The economic situation and social protection are of decisive importance for the development of a family.

According to experts, a universal tool for assessing the standard of living of various types of families is the minimum consumer budget (as a percentage of the budget). This budget consists of three main parts: the minimum set of necessary food products - about 35%; shoes, clothing and other non-food products - about 32%; payment for utilities and cultural services, taxes, payments - about 33%.

The main indicator of a family's well-being is the ratio of the average per capita income of its members and the cost of living. According to experts, in 1991, the average per capita income was below the subsistence level for 40% of the Russian population, and by the end of 1998, about 86% of the population could be included in this group. According to official data, 32% of families had incomes below the poverty level in November 1992, while 47% were poor among families with two children, and 72% among families with three children.

As a result of the deep decline in living standards, food costs have risen sharply in the total consumer expenditures of families. In urban large families and families of single mothers, this figure reaches 80%. According to international standards, if food costs are 50% or more, this indicates an extremely low standard of living.

Experts believe that managers at all levels of the government apparatus and scientists involved in research into problems of living standards underestimate the negative consequences of deteriorating nutrition of the population (8, p. 43). Poor nutrition of people entails deterioration in the health of pregnant women and an increase in the number of children born with a weight below accepted medical standards; an increase in the proportion of newborns with a weakened immune system; deterioration of all indicators of physical and mental development and health of children and, as a consequence, an increase in morbidity and mortality in children of all ages. Poor nutrition affects the working ability of the working population, the health of older people, reducing their life expectancy, poses a serious threat to the health of the younger generation and is fraught with serious social costs and economic losses.

The negative aspects in the demographic development of Russia are explained by the current difficulties in the socio-economic sphere. At the same time, discussions continue among scientists about the extent to which the current demographic dynamics are explained by global changes in the nature of population reproduction, to what extent by the peculiarities of the current situation in Russia, and to what extent by structural changes.

List of used literature

1. Antonov A.I. Family, market economy, state: crisis of social policy // Bulletin of Moscow State University. Ser.18. Sociology and political science. – 1999. - No. 3. – P. 87 – 103.

2. Bestuzhev-Lada I.V. Modern family and its problems // Questions of philosophy. – 1979. - No. 6. – P. 176 – 177.

3. Bondar L. Family: past and present // Bondar L. Introduction to Scouting: a book for parents and other adults. – Geneva, 1990.

4. Hunger S.I. Future family: what is it like? (socio-political aspect). – M.: Knowledge, 1990.

5. Good W. Sociology of the family // Sociology of the family. Problems and prospects. – M.: Progress, 1965.

6. Guryanova M.P. Rural family and society // Pedagogy. - 1995.- No. 3.-14-19.

7. Darmodekhin S.V., Elizarov V.V. Problems of family and family policy (according to sociological research) // Socio-political journal. – 1993. - No. 9 – 10. – P. 43 – 53.

8. Komarov M. S. Introduction to sociology. – M.: Open Society, 1994.

9. Problems of family and childhood in modern Russia. – M.: Pedagogy, 1992.

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