Influence of Reproductive Behavior of the Population of the Komi Republic on the Functioning of the Institute of Parenthood
The paper studies the peculiarities of reproductive behavior of the Komi Republic residents. It describes the dynamics of quantitative indicators of fertility, analyzes the qualitative characteristics of reproductive behavior of the Komi Republic residents and determines the nature of their influence on the state of the institute of parenthood. The article gives the definitions of “reproductive behavior”, “parenthood” and establishes their relationship. The aim of the research is to identify the processes and phenomena that characterize the qualitative aspects of reproductive behavior, which could have an adverse impact on the functioning of the institute of parenthood; the study also aims to develop recommendations for the minimization of the negative phenomena. To achieve the objectives of the study based on statistical data, the author analyzes the demographic processes and phenomena that are characteristic of the Komi Republic and that have an adverse effect on the functioning of the institute of parenthood, and makes an attempt to establish cause-effect relations between these phenomena. The study has found that the number of children born to teenage mothers is decreasing; however, the level of underage motherhood in Russia remains above the national average. The paper points out hypothetical reasons why underage girls become mothers. An adverse impact on the functioning of the institute of parenthood is provided by a significant number of incomplete, mainly maternal, families with underage children. Their share increases due to a high level of out-of-wedlock births, divorce rates of families in the early stages of marriage, significant mortality in working age men. The author raises the issues of paternal deprivation, division of biological and de facto parenthood, describes the phenomenon of the spreading of common-law marriages. The paper analyzes the potential of out-of-wedlock births based on the data on the proportion of births registered at the request of both parents or the mother only. The research findings show that, despite the improvement in the quantitative indicators of fertility in recent years, some qualitative characteristics of reproductive behavior of the population of the Komi Republic require optimization. Taking into account regional specifics, the author proposes the measures necessary to reduce the level and prevalence of demographic processes and phenomena that can negatively affect the functioning of the institute of parenthood.