The Revival of Tradition, New Marriages or Network Effects: Variability of Models of Large Modern Urban Families

Abstract

Citation: Borisova O., Pavlyutkin I. (2019) The Revival of Tradition, New Marriages or Network Effects: Variability of Models of Large Modern Urban Families. Mir Rossii, vol. 28, no 4, pp. 128–151 (in Russian). DOI: 10.17323/1811-038X-2019-28-4-128-151

Existing studies of multi-child families portray this social group without taking into account its internal heterogeneity. Multi-child families can differ in terms of sibship and in the structure of family relations. Considering basic social demographic indicators describing such families immediately reveals that families with many children are not homogeneous and might be differentiated by the number of features such as the number of children, birth spacing and marital stability. The current study is based on a survey of 502 multi-child families in several regions of Russia. By conducting a hierarchical cluster analysis based on indicators capturing the variation of fertility and marriage patterns, the study reveals diverse types of multi-child families. Furthermore, the authors outline the key reasons for their formation and sustainability. Specifically, the study reveals 5 stable models: the planned, the traditional, the new-religious, the formal and the remarried. These types are further characterized by distinct factors that are known to shape fertility and marriage: education, religiosity and the characteristics of social networks. In the explanation of the models of multi-child families particular attention is paid to the social component of religiosity contributing to marital stability and fertility levels.