Recent statistics of marriage and divorce in Russia display a straightforward connection between family relations and personal finances: The economic crisis had a profound impact on the number of changes in marital status among Russian citizens.
Fewer Russians decided to tie the knot in 2015, but the impact on divorce statistics was even stronger — grim economic situation makes people stick together, no matter what.
How Economic Crisis of 2014-2015 Affected Statistics of Marriage and Divorce in Russia
Statistics released for the first 9 months of 2015 (January — September) demonstrated a drop of 8% in the number of people who decided to tie the knot, reported MK.ru.
It is a sharp decline, considering the prevalent trends of previous years. For example, in 2013 there were 2.3% increase in the number of marriages as compared to 2012, calculated as the number of nuptials for 1000 people. In January-September 2009, there was a 2.4% increase as compared to 2008.
However, the divorce statistics showed an even deeper impact: there are 12.8% fewer divorces in 2015 as compared to the same period of 2014.
Russian analysts attribute the drop in the number of divorces to the economic hardship that many families experience post-crisis: Russian citizens lost 38% of their personal wealth in 2014-2015, according to the report by the bank Credit Suisse.
Prices for groceries in Russia are on average doubled since 2013, while incomes remain the same or even dropped, as compared to “rich” years before the current economic crisis and inflation, which started in the second quarter of 2014 and rapidly advanced throughout 2015.
In the situation of financial instability, people prefer to stick together and save on expenses of living on one’s own, even if a relationship is not going well, experts say. Youth unemployment and the increased burden of mortgage as compared to the income are also quoted as the reasons behind the phenomena.
Other Marriage-Related Statistics
- In Moscow region, the number of marriages in the first 6 months of 2015 dropped by 1.7%, and divorces by 6.9%, as compared to the first half a year in 2014. It is a smaller drop as compared to the rest of Russia, which confirms that the economic situation in Moscow hasn’t declined as rapidly as in remote regions.
- Russian sociologists state that only 10-15% of young people choose to live together prior to entering a marriage — a sharp difference to how people get married in the western countries.
- The production of engagement rings in Russia dropped in January-September 2015 by 3.9% as compared to the same period of 2014.
- There are 86 men in Russia for 100 women in the age category 15-65 years old (106 boys are born to 100 girls): Women outnumber men, fuelling demographic migration.
Russian experts believe that further drops in the number of marriages may be on the cards in 2016, judging by the sentiment among the population that the current economic situation is unlikely to improve in the near future.
Read also:
- Life of Russian Women Today — What Statistics Tell Us
- Preferred Age Difference in Long-Term Relationships and Marriages — Research
- Shortage of Russian Men Fuels Demographic Migration
- What Russians Think of Marriage, Family, and Housekeeping (Research)
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It is not surprising that the economic situation in our country affects the number of marriages and divorces. I think it is very sad. The government should make serious changes to improve the situation, because every year it is getting worse. I hope our country will be able to overcome the crisis.