Woman as Head of Incomplete Family in Modern Russian Society

Introduction. Large-scale sociocultural transformations of the late 20th – early 21st centuries affected the life of Russian family. The period witnesses the shaping of the so-called post-nuclear family characterized by the blurring of parental statuses and roles resulting, in particular, from the spread of incomplete families. Goals. According to official data, in Russian society, as a rule, incomplete family with a child (children) is headed by woman, and her adaptation to the conditions of incomplete family takes shape via one or another self-determination strategy. So, there emerges a need to study adaptive strategies that allow women from incomplete families to self-actualize. Methods. In terms of methodology, the study focuses on the microsociological level, namely, the ‘doing family’ microtheory which provided a turn towards the study of family practices. Results. The results of our sociological survey make it possible to delineate three main types of such strategies, namely: 1) ‘innovative, or proactive one’, 2) ‘traditional, or support-oriented one’, 3) and ‘patriarchal, or passive-reproductive one’. The first self-determination strategy is recognized as prevailing, which corresponds to sociocultural transformations experienced by the contemporary world and Russian society proper. Conclusions. The article also notes that each of the self-determination strategies adopted by women from incomplete families implies a dysfunction of education and socialization processes, which requires that the Government and related structures aimed at beneficial socialization of children take systemic measures to minimize negative consequences inherent to the phenomenon of incomplete family

Epistemology · Family life · Nuclear family · Phenomenon · Political science · Socialization · Sociocultural evolution · Sociology · Gender Studies · Law · Psychology · Regional Socio-Economic Development Trends · Social Psychology · Socioeconomic and Demographic Analysis · Sociopolitical Dynamics in Russia