Russia

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 has been followed by years of economic, political, and cultural tumult with serious repercussions for individuals and families. As the country struggles to privatize industries and services, jobs have been lost, workers have gone unpaid, inflation has skyrocketed, crime rates have multiplied, and people have discovered that attitudes and skills that garnered good positions in the former socialist command-economy do not always bring success in the new world of competitive business. Although well-heeled new Russians symbolize the wealth that can be achieved under capitalism, poverty rates have soared and the gulf between rich and poor has widened dramatically. Hand-in-hand with the economic revolution are shifts in ideology concerning the degree to which government may interfere in interpersonal matters. This has meant the easing of controls on a variety of details concerning marriage and childrearing, but it has also meant a much weakened social safety net.