Childlessness Increasingly Determined by Attitudes
Generally in Russia, being childless is an involuntary situation associated with infertility, age, and being single. However, being childless in Moscow is often a deliberate decision. Aside from a biological inability to bear children, childlessness in Moscow is likely to be associated with higher levels of education, income security, the structure of the family of origin, and certain attitudes, i.e. that having children is not necessary for happiness, according to Svetlana Biryukova, Research Fellow of the HSE's Centre for Studies of Income and Living Standards.
Migrants' Children Need Help Adapting
Children attending Moscow schools who are born to migrants from CIS countries often encounter difficulties adapting to their new environment. In research published in the HSE's online journal Demoscope Weekly, Zhanna Zayonchkovskaya, Yulia Florinskaya, Dmitry Poletaev, and Ksenia Doronina argue that educational institutions must help them master the Russian language and to overcome issues arising during the teaching process.
Marriage Stimulates Higher Earnings
Married men and women, on average, earn more than single individuals. But while for men getting divorced means a drop in earnings, the opposite is true for women – they achieve higher earnings after divorce and remarriage, according to a study by Lilia Rodionova, presented at the Tenth International Conference on Applying Multivariate Statistical Analysis to Economics and Quality Assessment hosted by the HSE.
The Regions Need More Money
Even considering an 8.5% increase in wages, regional budgets will not be able to avoid a deficit for 2014. The federal centre will have to find additional funds to pay for Russian federal subjects’ spending or else the subjects will be forced to increase debt, experts from the HSE Centre of Development Institute said in the latest issue of New Comments on the State and Business.
The Ideal Woman Differs from the Ideal Wife
Fewer Russians associate relationships between men and women with marriage, and gender roles are moving away from those of husband and wife. Russians still perceive 'the ideal man' and 'the ideal husband' as similar types – the common denominator being the roles of breadwinner and protector. In contrast, ‘the ideal woman' and 'the ideal wife' are two entirely different types. The former must be good-looking above all, while the latter is expected to be loyal, loving, and a good homemaker, according to Yulia Lezhnina, Associate Professor at the HSE's Subdepartment of Socio-Economic Systems and Social Policy.
Russian Youth Infected With Conspicuous Consumption
Buying name-brand goods and services boosts the majority of younger Russians’ self-esteem, allowing them to maintain their reputation, gain respect, and demonstrate their family’s material wealth, according to research conducted by Natalia Shaidakova of HSE Nizhny Novgorod’s Department of Marketing.
Seventy Percent of Russians Not Interested in Museums
Access to cultural heritage, including museums, is guaranteed under numerous international and domestic Russian documents, but certain disadvantaged groups are unable to exercise this right in practice, according to the report 'Access to Russian Museums: Internal and External Factors' by Tatyana Abankina, Director of the HSE’s Centre for Applied Economic Research.
Russian Food Embargo to Hit Business and Society
In the coming months, Russia’s embargo on food from western countries could result in decreased consumption for the low-income groups of society and a drop in the quality of the consumer basket for mid- and high-income groups, experts from HSE’s Centre of Development said in the latest issue of Comments on State and Business.
Russian Statistics Unhelpful in Predicting Future
Russian statistics are scarce, inaccurate, ormissing – and therefore misleading, rather than helpful. Their limited temporal depth makes any reliable long-term projections of the country's socio-economic development impossible, according to the report 'Russian Statistics: What Do They Preserve for History?' by Vladimir Bessonov, Head of the HSE’s Laboratory for Research in Inflation and Growth.
Tax Hike Could Stifle Economic Growth
Russia’s planned tax increase could bring about slower economic growth rates and a drop in the ability of Russian companies to compete, experts from HSE’s Centre of Development Institute say in the latest issue of Comments on State and Business.