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Marital status behaviour of women in the former Soviet Republics

Comportement matrimonial des femmes dans les ex-Républiques soviétiques

European Journal of Population / Revue européenne de Démographie volume 11, pages 31–62 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

This paper uses the most recent data and life table analysis to describe the marital behaviour of women in the republics of the former USSR. For the first time a multistate life table analysis was used to describe the marital careers of women from all the 15 republics. In the near future, such a comparative analysis will no longer be possible due to the unavailability of statistical data, especially in some of the Asian states.

The analysis shows that despite 70 years of influence by Soviet ideology and lifestyle, the institution of marriage was little subject to rapid change, and retained its traditions for each culture and its ethnic features.

Marriage was a universal institution in the former USSR. The majority of the women in all of the former republics entered marriage at least once. The mean age at first marriage varies from 20.5 in Moldavia to 22.8 in Azerbaijan. The proportion of marriages that end in divorce differs from 16% in Georgia to 41% in Latvia. On average more than 30% of divorced women remarry in Latvia and Ukraine and less than 5% in Georgia.

Résumé

Cet article décrit le comportement matrimonial des femmes dans les ex-Républiques soviétiques en utilisant les données les plus récentes. C'est la première fois qu'une analyse à l'aide de tables à extinction multiple est utilisée pour décrire les carrières matrimoniales des femmes de ces 15 républiques. A l'avenir il ne sera plus possible de réaliser une telle analyse comparative du fait que les données statistiques ne seront plus disponibles ou seront incompatibles entre elles, particulièrement dans certains Etats asiatiques.

L'analyse montre qu'en dépit de 70 années influencées par l'idéologie et le mode de vie soviétique, l'institution, du marriage n'a pas connu de changement rapide et a gardé les traditions de chaque culture et ses particularités ethniques.

Le mariage était une institution universelle dans les ex-Républiques soviétiques. La majorité des femmes de toutes ces républiques connaissaient au moins un mariage. L'âge moyen au premier mariage varie de 20,5 ans en Moldavie à 22,8 ans en Azerbaïdjan. La proportion de mariages qui se terminent par un divorce va de 10% en Georgie à 41% en Lettonie. En moyenne plus de 30% des femmes divorcées se remarient en Lettonie et en Ukraine et moins de 5% en Georgie.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Demography, Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, State Committee of Russia on Statistics, 51, Malaya Gruzinshaya, 123557, Moscow, Russia

    Leonid Barsky

  2. Population Research Center, FRW, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 800, 9700 AV, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Sergei Scherbov

Authors
  1. Leonid Barsky
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  2. Sergei Scherbov
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Barsky, L., Scherbov, S. Marital status behaviour of women in the former Soviet Republics. Eur J Population 11, 31–62 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01264104

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Keywords

  • Comparative Analysis
  • Marital Status
  • Statistical Data
  • Public Finance
  • Rapid Change