Family stability is growing concern
by Dr. Roman Solchanyk
Citing the increasing divorce rate in Ukraine, the party and government daily Radianska Ukraina has called upon its readers to express their views on "the complicated and delicate question" of establishing a centralized "family service" in the republic. The editorial board's appeal to its readers "to solve this problem together" follows an article by Halyna Kovtun titled "And for Life," in which the author laments the absence of a centralized institution in Ukraine devoted to "the holiest of the holy - the family, the basic element of our social organism."_1_
Ms. Kovtun refers to the individual and uncoordinated efforts of various social, educational and governmental institutions in Ukraine that in one way or another are concerned with specific aspects of the family. She points out for example, that school-children in the older age bracket are given instruction in sex education. Certain institutes offer special courses designed to prepare the younger generation for marriage. Lately, according to the author, schools for newlyweds and young parents and so-called young family clubs have become very popular. There are also "popular universities" offering courses on family legislation.
Nonetheless, it seems that such initiatives have not succeeded in stemming the rising divorce rate in the republic, which is now 34 per 100 marriages. Part of the problem is the relative ease with which divorces may be obtained in the Soviet Union. The only official institutions with responsibility for mediating divorce case prior to actual litigation are the consultative centers attached to raion registry offices (ZAGS), which provide a marriage counseling service. According to Ms. Kovtun, in 1979 the ZAGS consultative centers were able to save almost 8,000 marriages in Ukraine.
Ms. Kovtun also raises the question of providing services to single people in search of marriage partners. She points to the experience of the Baltic states, where journals such as Noorus (Tallinn) and Seima (Vilnius) run regular advertisements from individuals seeking suitable partners.
"Life shows that we must introduce new forms to help the family. Social clubs have sprung up in many cities, particularly in Kiev. They are for 'those over 30' who have not started a family. There are many who want to join such clubs. They have a positive reputation," Ms. Kovtun notes.
Recently, Radianska Ukraina carried a story describing the activities of the Young Family and Good Acquaintances Club in Severodonetsk in Voroshilovgrad Oblast._2_ The Ukrainian youth newspaper Mold Ukrainy also published an information article on the Kharkiv Family and Marriage Service, which serves as a clearing house for singles interested in meeting prospective marriage partners._3_
The appearance of Ms. Kovtun's article and the editorial board's call for ideas and propositions from readers suggests that the authorities in Kiev are prepared to consider the establishment of a centralized institution on the republican level that would be concerned with the family as a social unit. Ms. Kovtun points out that several scientific associates of the Department of Social and Economic Problems of Labor and Demography of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Economics, among them the well-known demographer L.V. Chuiko, have already completed research projects and formulated methodological recommendations for a "family service." At this point, asserts Ms. Kovtun, local party, state and Komsomol organs and the public in general must show their concern for such an institution.
"Life suggests that it is time, after all, to have a single centralized 'Family Service' in the republic. Such propositions may be heard more and more frequently. At the present time, family matters are being considered by the Academy of Sciences; the republican ministries of culture, education, health, justice, and consumer affairs; the Znanie Society; and by other public organizations each as it sees fit. Too many cooks spoil the broth," she writes.
The problem of the family and the state's responsibility for its well-being has also been discussed in the all-union press. In a recent article in "Sovietskoie gosudarstvo i pravo," candidate of juridical sciences Y. A. Korolev noted that last year the executive committee of the Moscow City Council established a Department on Questions of the Family and Marriage. The question of creating either a government or public institution on family affairs both on the all-union and republic levels, argues the author, has already been raised by the public and should be acted upon._4_
Although Ms. Kovtun does not specifically mention the low birth rate in Ukraine, this no doubt is one of the major reasons for the growing concern for family stability in the republic. Mr. Korolev does, however, refer to the declining birth rate in the country as a whole and notes that not only socioeconomic but also ethnic factors play an important role in the demographic structure of Soviet society._5_
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, December 28, 1980, No. 31, Vol. LXXXVII
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