Ural Federal University Sociologists Propose Measures to Support Young Student Families
A survey of Ural students conducted by UrFU sociologists revealed that 82.7 percent of respondents indicated a desire to become parents, 15.4 percent expressed no such intention, and 1.9 percent reported that they were already parents. The experts surveyed 2,000 university students in the Sverdlovsk region to ascertain the age at which they intend to have children and the concerns of prospective young parents.
“Students plan to have children at 25-30. At the same time, more than half of students think it’s an advantage to be a parent. The same number of respondents see parenthood as work. They think it requires time, money, and other expenses. 49.6% of students see parenthood as a duty, and 26% see it as stressful. Only 22.84% of second-year students want to have children”, explains Yuri Vishnevsky, Professor of the Department of Sociology and Public and Municipal Administration Technologies at UrFU.
For the past 25 years, sociologists have been engaged in the study of Ural students, conducting regular surveys. The objective is to monitor the evolution of young people’s attitudes towards parenthood.
“We hope that changes in demographics and information about families will make more young people want to have children”, concludes Yuri Vishnevsky.
Among the principal advantages and disadvantages of parenthood, students observed that on the one hand, parenthood engenders a sense of fulfillment and the opportunity to derive new sources of joy from life with children. Conversely, they noted that parenthood can impede professional self-realization and result in a reduction in material well-being. Sociologists posit that university-level support measures could assist students in overcoming some of the difficulties they encounter.
“Young families need more than just financial help. They also need to be able to combine parenting and education. One effective measure is a flexible system of sabbaticals for young parents and distance learning. A parenting student on sabbatical should have one status: “parent-student”. This lets them keep up with the educational process and take exams and credits at their own pace. This will help young parents not waste time and feel less afraid about building a career”, believes Anna Bagirova, Professor of the School of Public Administration and Entrepreneurship at UrFU.
Other forms of assistance include support in securing employment with companies that have implemented demographic policies and the establishment of counseling centers on university campuses, where specialists will assist in completing the necessary documentation to receive support measures.
It is also proposed that rooms for students’ children in universities and student dormitories would be an effective measure. The provision of babysitting during academic hours would allow parents to attend classes, according to sociologists. In addition, it is vital to provide infrastructure (wheelchairs, parking lots, discounts on catering services, etc.) and psychological support services for young parents.
“Supporting the mental health of student parents would help to level out the difficulties they are experiencing. In addition, a community of students leading a family-child lifestyle, where students could share experiences and receive psychological support, can psychologically support young parents,” concludes Anna Bagirova.