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

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  • Brienna Perelli-Harris

    (University of Southampton)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Brienna Perelli-Harris, 2008. "Ukraine: On the border between old and new in uncertain times," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 19(29), pages 1145-1178.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:19:y:2008:i:29
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2008.19.29
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    Cited by:

    1. Nataliia Levchuk & Brienna Perelli-Harris, 2009. "Declining fertility in Ukraine: what is the role of abortion and contraception?," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2009-045, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    2. Zsolt Spéder & Balázs Kapitány, 2014. "Failure to Realize Fertility Intentions: A Key Aspect of the Post-communist Fertility Transition," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 33(3), pages 393-418, June.
    3. Barbara S. Okun & Shlomit Kagya, 2012. "Fertility Change among Post-1989 Immigrants to I srael from the F ormer S oviet U nion," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 792-827, December.
    4. Jonas Wood & Karel Neels & Tine Kil, 2014. "The educational gradient of childlessness and cohort parity progression in 14 low fertility countries," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 31(46), pages 1365-1416.
    5. Lesia Nedoluzhko & Victor Agadjanian, 2015. "Between Tradition and Modernity: Marriage Dynamics in Kyrgyzstan," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(3), pages 861-882, June.
    6. Brienna Perelli-Harris & Theodore Gerber & Yuliya Hilevych, 2024. "Uncertainty and Fertility in Ukraine on the Eve of Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion: The Impact of Armed Conflict and Economic Crisis," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 40(1), pages 1-23, December.
    7. Anna Matysiak, 2011. "Fertility Developments In Central And Eastern Europe: The Role Of Work–Family Tensions," Demográfia English Edition, Hungarian Demographic Research Institute, vol. 54(5), pages 7-30.
    8. Kalabichina, Irina E. & Tyndik, Alla, 2014. "Does current demographic policy in Russia impact on fertility of different educational groups?," EconStor Preprints 121850, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    9. Martin Klesment & Allan Puur & Leen Rahnu & Luule Sakkeus, 2014. "Varying association between education and second births in Europe," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 31(27), pages 813-860.
    10. Victor Agadjanian & Premchand Dommaraju, 2011. "Culture, Modernization, and Politics: Ethnic Differences in Union Formation in Kyrgyzstan [Culture, modernisation et politiques: différences ethniques dans la formation des unions au Kirghizstan]," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 27(1), pages 79-101, February.
    11. Jonas Wood & Leen Marynissen & Jessica Nisén & Peter Fallesen & Karel Neels & Alessandra Trimarchi & Lars Dommermuth & Ruben Van Gaalen & Martin Kolk & Pekka Martikainen, 2021. "Regional variation in women’s education-fertility nexus in Northern and Western Europe," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2021-021, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    12. Zsolt Spéder & Balázs Kapitány, 2012. "Realising birth intentions in European comparison – understanding the postcommunist fertility transition," Working Papers on Population, Family and Welfare 15, Hungarian Demographic Research Institute.
    13. Yuri Frantsuz & Eduard Ponarin, 2020. "The Impact of Societal Instability on Demographic Behavior (The Case of Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia)," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 39(6), pages 1087-1117, December.
    14. Tomas Frejka, 2008. "Overview Chapter 5: Determinants of family formation and childbearing during the societal transition in Central and Eastern Europe," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 19(7), pages 139-170.
    15. Tomáš Sobotka & Laurent Toulemon, 2008. "Overview Chapter 4: Changing family and partnership behaviour," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 19(6), pages 85-138.
    16. Brienna Perelli-Harris & Yuliya Hilevych, 2023. "The triple burden of depopulation in Ukraine: examining perceptions of population decline," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 21(1), pages 245-275.
    17. Cornelia Muresan & Jan M. Hoem, 2010. "The negative educational gradients in Romanian fertility," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 22(4), pages 95-114.
    18. Busygin V.P. & Kulakov D.A., 2016. "Comparative efficiency of child benefits in different European countries," World of economics and management / Vestnik NSU. Series: Social and Economics Sciences, Socionet, vol. 16(3), pages 42-56.
    19. Joshua R. Goldstein & Michaela R. Kreyenfeld, 2010. "East Germany overtakes West Germany: recent trends in order-specific fertility dynamics," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2010-033, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    20. Jonas Wood & Sebastian Klüsener & Karel Neels & Mikko Myrskylä, 2017. "Is a positive link between human development and fertility attainable? Insights from the Belgian vanguard case," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2017-014, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    21. Yuliya Hilevych, 2020. "Entrance into parenthood at the onset of low fertility in Ukraine: The role of family relationships and perceived security," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 42(29), pages 799-826.
    22. Tomáš Sobotka, 2008. "Overview Chapter 6: The diverse faces of the Second Demographic Transition in Europe," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 19(8), pages 171-224.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    fertility; childbearing; Ukraine;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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