Russian Family Well-being in the Self-assessments of the Population
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The article presents the sociological understanding of family well-being as a prerequisite for the full performance of the basic functions of this paramount social institution. Based on the analysis of Russian and foreign sources on the subject of well-being, the conceptual content of the core concept of "family well-being" is formulated, since there was no definition of it that met the requirements of the authors of the study. In order to obtain a holistic view of family well-being, the authors propose the use of a sociological approach that examines the complex of economic, social and psychological segments of well-being. The authors analyse the results of a sociological study in which they assessed these segments and drew conclusions about the level of well-being of the Russian family as a whole. In particular, it is pointed out that the state of economic well-being of the family is negatively influenced by low income, housing problems and borrowing. Social well-being is negatively affected by the reproductive passivity of families, excessive workload of parents, lack of necessary control and education of children. The state of psychological well-being of the Russian family is the most favourable compared to other segments. It is characterised by a positive family atmosphere, short-lived conflicts, a stable orientation towards family preservation and joint leisure activities, and extensive friendly communication with the outside world. The authors put forward a hypothesis that the objective indicators obtained in the course of the survey cannot always directly determine the well-being of the family, while the subjective self-assessment of the family's well-being reflects its real state to a greater extent. In particular, it should be noted that lack of housing, material wealth, debt, lack of a well-paid job and other difficulties in life do not prevent a family from considering itself happy and well-off.
Authors: D.K. Tanatova, I.V. Korolev
Language: English
Subfield: Demography
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4408790286