Family Policy in Big Cities in Terms of Demographic Transition

Abstract

The paper considers the development of family policy in metropolises within the frameworks of the second demographic transition. Demographic transformations lead to the spread of vulnerability of certain categories of families with children—single-parent families, large families—as well as exacerbation of the problem of combining childbirth and employment, aff ordability, favorable environment for childbirth. The aim of the work is to analyze the peculiarities of fertility transformations in metropolitan cities of Ukraine and to identify the challenges caused by them, to consider current practices of family policy in developed European countries, to formulate conclusions on the development of family policy in Ukrainian cities. The work uses an array of statistical indicators, formed on the basis of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD Family Database), Eurostat (Eurostat). Fertility trends in metropolitan cities are studied by analyzing long time series. Correlation analysis is used to determine the importance of individual fertility factors in modern Ukraine. The study of family policy and the formation of recommendations is carried out using a historical analogy and a systematic approach. The novelty of the article lies in the confi rmation of the conformity of the transformation of fer tility in metropolises of Ukraine to European processes and formation of a vision of fami ly policy development in large metropolitan cities of Ukraine based on the study of demographic challenges and experience of family policy in Europe. In large metropolitan cities, the aging of motherhood and the spread of vulnerability of certain categories of families with children—single-parent families, large families—as well as exacerbation of the problem of combining childbirth and employment, aff ordability, favorable environment for childbirth has grown in intensity. Priority areas for the development of family policy in a metropolitan are the development of child care services, promotion of parental employment, promotion of housing, spread of gender equality.