The patriarchal structure of many African societies, in which responsibility for children’s well-being lies predominantly with women, raises the question of fathers’ participation in childrearing. This study examines the factors that facilitate or hinder fathers’ involvement in raising children aged 3–4 years. To measure fathers’ contribution to parenting, six activities were selected and grouped into two categories: cognitive and socio-emotional. The study used data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and included fathers aged 15–49 years whose children, aged 3–4 years, were living with them at the time of the survey. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses conducted on MICS data collected between 2014 and 2019 showed that only one-quarter of fathers contributed to the development of cognitive development, and one-third participated in children’s socio-emotional activities. Although child gender and mothers’ attitudes and beliefs regarding gender roles and gender equality did not influence paternal support in the cognitive dimension, they were significantly associated with the socio-emotional dimension. In contrast, paternal polygamy and child age influenced cognitive support without affecting socio-emotional support. Country of residence, marital status, and education level were significantly associated with both categories of paternal support. The findings suggest that national peace and security, marital status, and higher levels of education are associated with greater paternal investment in children’s cognitive and socio-emotional development.
The period from 1965 to 2020 in Russia was marked by unprecedentedly high alcohol-related and overall mortality, making it unique in the country’s demographic history. Despite the significance of this issue, alcohol-related causes of death and overall mortality trends have often been studied in isolation, without simultaneously considering their long-term dynamics. This study aims to comprehensively analyze alcohol-related and overall mortality trends over this period and identify key stages marked by changes in mortality patterns. Using Rosstat data, standardized mortality rates for men and women due to alcohol poisoning and all causes were calculated for 1965–2020. Correlation and regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between overall and alcohol-related mortality. The dynamics of these indicators were compared over the entire period and across individual stages. The results revealed three complete cycles of synchronous fluctuations in alcohol and overall mortality in Russia: 1965–1988, 1988–1998, and 1998–2019, with peaks in 1980, 1994, and 2003, respectively. The historical maximum mortality rate occurred in 1994. Between 1965 and 1994, overall mortality increased by 47%, while alcohol poisoning mortality increased by 361%. By the early 2010s, both indicators had returned close to their 1965 levels. Analysis indicated that each shift in mortality trends was associated with the emergence of new, often multiple, factors affecting alcohol consumption and mortality, specific to periods of growth or decline. A strong synchronicity between overall and alcohol-related mortality was observed (R = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.73–0.91), despite alcohol poisoning accounting for only 1.4% of all deaths. Two exceptions were noted: 1965–1980 among women, and 2005–2019 among individuals with severe alcohol dependence, reflecting specific drinking behaviors. Four post-World War II anti-alcohol campaigns (1958, 1972, 1985, and 2000) were also analyzed. Only the 2000 campaign achieved a significant and sustained reduction in alcohol consumption and mortality. The synchronicity between alcohol-related and overall mortality in Russia indicates a substantial contribution of alcohol to excess mortality and population decline. Despite notable declines in alcohol consumption and overall mortality between 2005 and 2019, both indicators remain high. Russia continues to rank among the highest globally in alcohol-related mortality, showing disproportionately high mortality relative to alcohol consumption levels.
Demographic factors remain crucial issues in economic development. The size and age composition of the population greatly affect a country’s economic growth. This study aims to investigate the effect of the age dependency ratio on labor productivity through the moderating role of foreign direct investment (FDI) and private sector credit. The study applies the Arellano–Bond Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) using a sample of five selected ASEAN countries over the period 2000–2023. The results reveal that the age dependency ratio weakens the positive effect of foreign direct investment on productivity. Moreover, the age dependency ratio plays a more significant role as a moderating variable than as an independent variable in influencing productivity in ASEAN countries. Policies aimed at increasing productivity among the working-age population (15–64 years) should be a main priority in addressing employment challenges, particularly through improving the quality of education and training and expanding employment opportunities via investment driven by FDI and private sector credit. In addition, birth control efforts through family planning programs and the prevention of early marriage should receive greater attention from governments.
The paper examines post-educational interregional migration of recent Russian university graduates as one of the key factors in the redistribution of human capital between regions. Based on individual data on more than 250.000 graduates of 2021, the paper analyses the characteristics that influence migration decisions and assesses the wage premium/penalty received after relocation. The results presented in this paper show that educational characteristics (source of educational funding, presence of a diploma with honours, continuation of education, average admission exam score) have the most significant impact on migration decisions. The assessment of the modified Mincer equation also made it possible to determine the return on migration. Thus, moving to a more economically developed region provides an average wage increase of 10–17%. The greatest benefits from migration are enjoyed by graduates in medicine and agriculture, as well as STEM graduates, while representatives of the social sciences and education face a comparatively low return on relocation. The results confirm the hypothesis of high regional and sectoral differentiation in the Russian labour market. The study highlights the need for closer integration between the education system and regional labour markets in order to mitigate territorial imbalances in the distribution of human capital.
This systematic literature review explores work-life balance (WLB) with an emphasis on how it affects working mothers and women, as well as organizational performance. Initially ten articles were selected from the Web of Science database, published between 2014 and 2024, and then three additional studies were added to increase the number of the quantitative and case studies. This sample of research studies was analyzed using the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The results emphasize the difficulties women encounter when balancing work and domestic obligations, such as role conflict, stress, and limited career advancement. It has been demonstrated that good work-life balance practices, such as flexible scheduling, encouraging company culture, and family-friendly policies, improve employee satisfaction, productivity, and employee loyalty. However, progress towards gender equality in WLB is still hampered by enduring cultural norms and workplace expectations. The review emphasizes how companies and legislators can work together to create environments that support women’s needs and promote organizational performance.
The relationship between labor market status and individual health has been a central topic in academic research for decades. The findings remain inconclusive despite extensive studies, largely due to variations in national contexts, study periods, and health indicators used. This study focuses on Russia and examines the direct causal effect of employment status on self-reported health outcomes. We employ a quasi-experimental Difference-in-Differences (DID) approach to address potential biases arising from self-selection and indirect selection (confounding). Our analysis is based on data from waves 24–31 (2015–2022) of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey – Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE), a nationally representative panel dataset. The results confirm a significant causal relationship between employment status and self-reported health. However, the analysis does not conclusively confirm or reject the hypothesized negative impact of unemployment on health outcomes in the Russian population, highlighting the need for further investigation. Moreover, the extended analysis reveals a significant positive association of higher education levels with self-reported health, while being divorced is associated with a negative impact on health outcomes. Additionally, we run synthetic DID models to demonstrate that our results are robust to changes in specifications. Our findings have important policy implications, providing a strong foundation for developing initiatives focused on expanding employment opportunities, ultimately contributing to improved population health. In Russia, where healthcare costs are state-funded, these measures can enhance population health and reduce long-term government healthcare expenditures.
This study examines the issue of teacher burnout and analyzes the psychological factors that contribute to successful digital transformation and its reduction. The authors drew on the resource conservation model of burnout (Hobfoll 2001), the model of psychological factors of successful digital transformation in the workplace (Trenerry et al. 2021), and theories of group norms (Terry et al. 1999; Smith and Louis 2009) to test the effects of individual-, group-, and organizational-level factors on reducing teacher burnout in educational organizations. The study sample included teachers from small towns and rural areas in Russia (N = 316). Using structural equation modeling, we found that administrative support, an organizational-level factor, had a direct effect on reducing teacher burnout. Affective (emotional) readiness for the implementation of digital technologies also contributed to a reduction in teacher burnout. The group-level psychological factor – methodological support from specialist – did not have a significant effect on reducing teacher burnout. Similarly, the organizational-level psychological factor of perceiving digitalization as an organizational norm did not have a direct effect on reducing teacher burnout. However, an indirect (mediating) effect of this factor was identified through the affective component of readiness for digitalization. It can be concluded that when digitalization is perceived by teachers as the norm, this generally enhances their positive attitude and motivation to use digital technologies in their professional activities, which ultimately leads to a decrease in burnout.
The aim of our study was to analyse the association between HIV status and fertility among migrant women who arrived in France from sub-Saharan Africa. We used data from the PARCOURS survey conducted by the French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis (ANRS, Agence Nationale de Recherche sur le Sida et les hépatites virales), based on a sample of 954 women who arrived in France during their reproductive years (aged 15 to 49). To assess the impact of demographic, socioeconomic, and health factors on fertility rates, a Poisson regression model was applied. The analysis showed that women who arrived in France before the age of 30 had a significantly lower fertility rate than those who arrived between 30 and 34. Additionally, HIV-negative migrant women had a significantly higher total fertility rate than HIV-positive women (4.09 children per woman versus 3.20). The period of arrival in France was also significantly associated with fertility rates. Women arriving aged 15–49 before 1996 had significantly lower fertility rates than those arriving between 2005 and 2013, reflecting the influence of French migration policies and socio-economic context. Fertility decisions are influenced by factors at both micro-levels (such as education and autonomy in decision-making) and macro-levels (including media influence and place of residence), highlighting the complexity of reproductive behaviour, especially within the migration context. Our study emphasises the associations between HIV status, age at arrival, abortion history, and other factors in understanding the determinants of fertility among sub-Saharan African migrant women. These findings provide valuable insights for the development of health policies and services tailored to the specific reproductive health needs of this population.
We have developed a unified growth theory aimed at reconciling the various revolutions that occurred in Britain over the past millennium, including the Agricultural Revolution, Structural Transformation, Industrial Revolution, Industrious Revolution, and Demographic Revolution. A key component of our theory is the introduction of the Industrious Selection mechanism, whereby individuals with greater industriousness gradually come to dominate the population composition over time. Through a process of labor-leisure optimization and the income effect on the number of births, Industrious Selection leads to an increase in working hours, intensification of production, and acceleration of the development process. We argue that Industrious Selection is a crucial factor in understanding and explaining British development history, particularly regarding phenomena such as the rise in working days during the Malthusian era when other economic variables were in stasis.
In the context of today’s information society, trust in information disseminated through virtual communication – particularly via the Internet and mobile networks – has become a key factor shaping individuals’ perceptions of reality and their decision-making. Of particular importance is the question of how perceptions of media freedom relate to trust in information received in the course of virtual communication. In the absence of standardized mechanisms for monitoring the quality of information circulating in the digital environment, including online, and given the growing diversity and accessibility of information sources, the issue of trust in information has become increasingly pressing. Examining the relationship between perceptions of media freedom and trust in information disseminated through virtual communication makes it possible to understand how these factors interact within the contemporary media landscape. The aim of this study is to identify the nature of the relationship between perceived media freedom and trust in information shared in the process of virtual communication, considering the frequency of Internet use as one of the key channels through which virtual interaction occurs. The study is based on data from the 10th round of the European Social Survey (ESS) conducted in Russia in 2021, involving 2.070 respondents. Data were analysed using hierarchical regression and moderation analysis with the PROCESS module in SPSS. Gender, age, education level, and type of settlement were included as control variables. The results confirm that perceptions of media freedom and frequency of Internet use play an important role in shaping trust in information disseminated through virtual communication. The findings indicate a complex relationship that varies depending on the level of Internet use. These results may be useful for further research on media consumption and trust in information, as well as for developing strategies to enhance media literacy among the population.
Grounded in the ecocultural framework, this study examines the historical and contemporary predictors of regional cultural differences in individualism–collectivism (IND–COL) across Russia, focusing on private land ownership in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and current employment in agriculture. The analysis reveals that regions with a higher prevalence of private land ownership in 1877 and 1905 exhibit stronger individualistic tendencies in modern times, suggesting a continuity of cultural traits. Additionally, contemporary factors such as the share of the workforce employed in agriculture and ethnic composition – particularly the proportion of ethnic Russians – emerge as significant predictors of IND–COL differences. However, urbanization shows no significant relationship with regional cultural variation in IND–COL, indicating that although it may correlate with individualism, it is not a primary predictor. The findings underscore that factors rooted in traditional subsistence strategies exert a profound and lasting influence on regional cultural differences, persisting even through the sweeping societal transformations of the Soviet era.
Tropical Africa’s exceptionally slow fertility decline has been explained by both weak economic development and an unusually pro-natal culture. Yet these explanations are both too simple. This region has shown a stall in its fertility decline despite recent improvements in infant mortality, education, and urbanization. Its response to development has thus been different from that of other developing regions. At the same time, within Tropical Africa, women with higher incomes, living in cities, and with more education exhibit lower fertility. Thus, fertility is not culturally impervious to socio-economic gains. We present a path analysis of how various modernization factors affect fertility in Tropical Africa vs. other developing regions. We find that this region is different. Cultural family patterns in this region render gains in income, urbanization, and women’s paid employment ineffective in reducing fertility. Women’s education, however, is vitally important, as it is the most significant driver of changes in birth intervals and a strong direct factor in reducing desired family size. By contrast, women’s employment has no significant effect at all on fertility in Tropical Africa – neither through family size nor through birth intervals. Women’s education is more effective in lowering fertility than in other regions; yet Tropical Africa lags far behind other regions in educating its women.
Digitalization and digital technologies have become an integral part of the education system, radically transforming both teaching methods and the role of teachers. Therefore, examining teachers’ attitudes toward digitalization is essential for enhancing the effectiveness of education and ensuring the successful implementation of technologies in the educational process. Teachers’ attitudes are shaped by various factors, such as expectations, barriers, competencies, and perceptions of the effectiveness of the technologies used. This study surveyed 50 Russian teachers from different regions (45 of whom were women) with an average age of 43 years and an average length of service of 18 years. The authors analyzed respondents’ answers to open-ended questions about the practices and purposes of using digital technologies, the advantages and disadvantages of digitalization in education, and teachers’ perceptions of the role of digitalization in the future of education. Phenomenological analysis revealed several interrelated central trends and aspects (educational, material and technical, psychological, and transformational) that characterize school teachers’ attitudes toward digitalization. The findings indicate that, although digital transformation is generally perceived positively, a certain degree of resistance remains. Many teachers point to insufficient material and technical resources in schools and a lack of various types of support for the use of digital technologies. Teachers view the future of education in the digital age as an opportunity to facilitate their work, improve educational quality, and enhance the digital competence of all participants in the educational process. The results obtained have practical significance for the development of Russian education in the context of ongoing digital transformation.
In recent decades, Russia has pursued an active anti-alcohol policy. This includes setting a minimum price for alcohol and raising excise duties. However, since 2017, the effectiveness of these measures has declined, while total alcohol consumption has increased. This paper analyses how people with different income levels respond to changes in the price of alcoholic beverages. Using data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey–HSE (RLMS) and Rosstat from 2011 to 2022, we examined the alcohol consumption behaviours of different income groups. Two-step Heckman models and instrumental variables were used to calculate the price elasticity of vodka, beer and dry wine consumption in groups with different income levels. The study found that the response to changes in prices of vodka, beer and wine varies greatly between the wealthiest and least wealthy consumer groups. Those with the lowest incomes demonstrate the lowest elasticity of vodka consumption (from -0.123 to -0.196 depending on the number of groups considered) and the highest price elasticity of wine consumption (from -1.41 to -1.52). Conversely, high-income consumers are the most sensitive to increases in vodka prices (consumption elasticity from -0.235 to -0.273) and the least sensitive to increases in wine prices (from -0.618 to -0.694).
Based on previous research on names and cultural changes, I propose six suggestions regarding Mignot (2022), which investigated historical changes in given names in France. The study analyzed two different datasets on names and reported that the number of distinctive first names increased from the 1950s to the 2010s. Moreover, the author demonstrated that the proportion of the top 10 most popular names decreased. These two findings were interpreted as reflecting an increase in individualization (individualism). However, six points remain unclear. The first and second comments suggest excluding possible alternative explanations. The third and fourth comments recommend using previous studies that have provided valuable findings, on which new insights could be further added. The fifth and sixth comments ask the author to clarify the data used by adding more information. Addressing these comments would contribute to a better understanding of the historical changes in given names and their underlying psychological and cultural trends in France.
Gender is a mandatory attribute in the study of all demographic processes, except for fertility, which is traditionally measured relative to the female population. In recent decades, interest in research on male fertility has increased significantly, due to a reassessment of their role in the formation and development of the family. The purpose of our article is to draw attention to the study of male fertility in Russia. For this purpose, male fertility was calculated for the period from 2000 to 2023 based on government statistics. It was found that the ratio of total fertility rates for men and women in Russia has changed ambiguously: until 2011, the total fertility rate was higher for men, but then the situation changed in favour of women. This phenomenon, as shown in the article, is explained by the peculiarities of changes in the age composition of the population. The analysis of the dynamics of calculated fertility rates and mean age at birth for men is carried out in an international context. Fathers in Russia are younger than in other countries with low fertility, but this difference is smaller for fathers than for mothers. Moreover, the difference in the average age of parents in Russia is one of the largest in Europe. The study demonstrates that studying male fertility using Russian data is feasible and adds new analytical information to the picture of demographic development.
This study examines the impact of demographic shifts and broader macroeconomic factors on labor productivity in 23 European Union countries (EU-23) over the period 2005–2022. The analysis employs dynamic panel estimation techniques, including the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM), Random Effects (RE), and Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) models, to investigate the effects of population aging, unemployment, inflation, GDP per capita, research and development (R&D), life expectancy, and capital formation on productivity dynamics. Unit root and cointegration tests confirm the existence of long-run relationships among variables with different levels of integration. The findings indicate that inflation exerts a significant negative effect on productivity, whereas GDP per capita and R&D investment consistently enhance efficiency and output per worker. Life expectancy appears to have a negative impact, likely reflecting demographic pressures, while unemployment shows an unexpected positive association with productivity – possibly due to structural changes in the labor market and the adoption of new technologies. The ARDL error-correction model confirms long-run convergence, with persistent effects of productivity determinants over time. Overall, the results suggest that sustaining productivity growth in Europe depends on macroeconomic stability, innovation, human capital accumulation, and demographic adaptation.
This database contains 18.492 negative patient reviews (rated one star out of five, where five is the highest level of medical service quality) from the Russian medical review aggregator infodoctor.ru, collected between July 2012 and August 2023. The database is presented in .xlsx format (UTF-8 encoding). The dataset covers 16 major Russian cities, including Moscow (8.108 reviews), St. Petersburg (2.356), and 14 other cities with a population of over a million (8.028). Reflecting dissatisfaction with the quality of medical services, this dataset provides important information about the problems in the healthcare delivery across regions and socio-demographic groups. The data are presented as full-text reviews, which allows for an in-depth analysis of patient experience using text content analysis. Structured variables such as city, date, complaint type, doctor’s specialty, patient’s gender also allow for quantitative analysis using econometric methods. The combination of methods allows us to gain insight into patient dissatisfaction with medical services in Russian cities with a population of over a million for more than a decade.
The paper presents the results of the research into the current state of agriculture and rural areas of Yaroslavl Oblast, considering specific natural, production, economic and socio-demographic factors. It shows the characteristics and intra-regional differentiation of agricultural production depending on the distance from the region’s large cities. The paper shows specific features of rural development in the context of economic contraction, ageing and shrinking of the population, concentration of production and the increasingly significant role of agricultural holdings, as well as the influence of non-productive factors on intra-regional differentiation. The paper presents statistical calculations by municipal districts and individual enterprises along with the results of socio-geographical expeditions to the rural areas of Yaroslavl Oblast, which included expert interviews with heads of enterprises and local administrations, specialists of various levels, and the population. The mechanisms of development of the agro-industrial complex of the region, the specifics of its current organisation, its challenges, and its impact not only on the food supply for the population, but also on the socio-geographical space and the living conditions of the local population are considered. Relative proximity to towns or cities, the patterns of use of local resources, participation in government support programmes, the degree of modernisation of production, availability of exclusive products, the staffing and the personnel policies, and personal qualities of the managers were identified as key success factors for agricultural enterprises regardless of their size. Both general and specific current challenges to the development of different types of enterprises in the Non-Black Soil Zone were identified, including the shrinking of crop acreage and the dependence of livestock farming on fodder grain purchased from southern Russia. Equally important is the acute shortage of labour, the difficulties in recruiting migrant workers, and wage growth without increases in skills and productivity in the face of labour shortages. The consequences of the sanctions include difficulties in purchasing genetic material and vaccines from abroad, and in the renewal and maintenance of imported equipment.
The article presents the results of the econometric analysis of microdata obtained from drawing up the budgets of peasant households in five regions – two European (Novgorod province, Simbirsk province) and three Asian (Ural region, Central Asian and Far Eastern) – in the period from the beginning of the Stolypin reform (1906) to the outbreak of the First World War (1914). The purpose of the study is to shed light on the question of whether there was an agrarian revolution in pre-revolutionary Russia. The regression analysis of the production function showed that the main factor significantly influencing the output is the amount of land, followed by the number of horses, with number of workers being insignificant. At the same time, it follows from the stochastic boundary model applied to the production function that there are no technologically special differences between the regions, whereas technologies did not differ much from previous centuries. Study of peasant farms’ embeddedness in market relations demonstrated that marketability in all the regions was approximately 31-37%. It is concluded that during the period under study in Russia, the modernization of the agricultural sector was at an initial stage, that is, the processes that could later lead to an agrarian revolution were just beginning.
