Volume 19 - Article 29 | Pages 1145–1178  

Ukraine: On the border between old and new in uncertain times

By Brienna Perelli-Harris

This article is part of the Special Collection 7 "Childbearing Trends and Policies in Europe"

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the demographic situation in Ukraine, including explanations for the decline to very low fertility and changes in family policy. Drawing on official statistics, survey data, and focus group interviews, the analysis shows that the country’s decline to lowest-low fertility is primarily due to the postponement of or the reduction in second births, as opposed to the postponement of first births. The chapter includes a discussion on the link between low fertility and changing marriage patterns, contraceptive prevalence, and abortion. The author then reviews the evidence for the leading explanations of fertility decline in Ukraine, including economic uncertainty, social anomie, the Second Demographic Transition, and unequal gender relations. In addition, the author proposes unexplored factors that may lead to fertility limitation, such as the increasing difficulty of combining work and childrearing, insufficient housing, changes in intergenerational support, and the deterioration of health lifestyles and marital relations.

Author's Affiliation

Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research

The role of education in the intersection of partnership transitions and motherhood in Europe and the United States
Volume 39 - Article 27

Cross-national differences in women's repartnering behaviour in Europe: The role of individual demographic characteristics
Volume 37 - Article 8

Exploring social norms around cohabitation: The life course, individualization, and culture: Introduction to Special Collection: "Focus on Partnerships: Discourses on cohabitation and marriage throughout Europe and Australia"
Volume 33 - Article 25

Commitment and the changing sequence of cohabitation, childbearing, and marriage: Insights from qualitative research in the UK
Volume 33 - Article 12

Changes in partnership patterns across the life course: An examination of 14 countries in Europe and the United States
Volume 33 - Article 6

Educational differences in early childbearing: A cross-national comparative study
Volume 33 - Article 3

Towards a new understanding of cohabitation: Insights from focus group research across Europe and Australia
Volume 31 - Article 34

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