Russian Mothers: Statistics
Children and the problem of their education are very important in the lives of the Russian women. When trying to construct the image of an ideal woman, Russian girls put love for children on the first place in the list of the qualities this ideal woman should have - 43,9% said it is important. The ideal partner should also possess this child-loving streak (44,0% of Russian women consider it to be an essential feature of the ideal husband).
Thus if, for example, only 2,3% named sexuality as an important characteristic of both the ideal woman and the ideal husband, 21,6% of Russian girls emphasized the importance of love for children in the ideal woman and man at the same time. In other words, children for Russian women are not only an integral part of their lives, but also a necessary "link" in the relationship between man and woman in the family.
According to the survey, quality bringing-up of children is part of the life plan of an overwhelming majority of Russian women (96,4%). Meanwhile, the women evaluate their own achievements in this respect very moderately - only 28,9% of the Russian women surveyed are sure that they have succeeded in bringing up children. This percentage looks especially small when compared to the way women evaluate other aspects of their lives - for example, 40,0% of them think that they have managed to create a happy family, 50,1% - to find the one and only true love.
However, this low self-assessment of the women in many cases does not really mean that they are not happy with the way they brought up their children. It rather reflects the fact that they do not see the process of upbringing as something that has clear limits. On the contrary, the traditions, the social and economical conditions of the relationships between generations in Russia are such that the children often remain dependent on their parents financially and socially even after becoming adult. As a result, their parents still feel they should take care of them. For example, 23,8% of the women whose children have already grown up say that they did not succeed in properly bringing up their children, but they would do so in future.
Thus, the low percentage of the women thinking they were not able to bring up children properly does not mean that they consider themselves to be maternal failures. It is rather a reflection of the specific attitude of Russian girls to the problem of education and of the relationships between generations within the family in Russian society. Meanwhile, the survey reports that Russian women are sure they would be able to make a reality of their plans concerning their children's education. 60,6% claim that they have not yet succeeded in it, but they feel they could, and only 5,8% of Russian girls think they can hardly make it.
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