Survey on Russian Marriages, 1996

This survey was designed to provide information on the
Russian family in terms of the economic and social change experienced
during the process of democratization. The survey covered urban and
rural areas of Russia. The Moscow data were collected between February
and November 1996, while respondents from the rural regions of Saratov
and Pskov were interviewed February-March 1996 and February-April
1996, respectively. Adults aged 18 to 60 years were asked through
face-to-face interviews for their views on their relationship with
their spouse or cohabitating partner, including relative status,
perceived marital/relationship quality, and perceived verbal and
physical abuse, as well as generational differences with respect to
gender attitudes and marital relationships. Cohabitating respondents
were asked the same questions as married respondents, in these cases,
reference was made to the partner instead of the spouse and to their
relationship rather than marriage. Respondents were asked to describe
their views, as well as those of their spouse or partner and of
society in general, regarding women working outside the home, marital
decision-making, and gender traits. Those queried also commented on
their satisfaction with the division of labor in their marriage or
cohabitating relationship, included housekeeping, managing family
finances, earning income, raising children, and caring for
parents. Married and previously married respondents were asked about
their marital history, including age at first marriage, while
separated, divorced, and widowed respondents were asked when and for
what reason(s) their union ended. Additional topics covered attitudes
towards divorce and alcohol use, the amount of conflict present in the
marriage or relationship, the presence of verbal and/or physical
abuse, verbal and/or physical abuse experienced from parents, family
background, and description of the residence. The spouses or
cohabitating partners of primary respondents were also interviewed, as
well as one adult child of each primary respondent with adult children
in the Moscow area sample. Only female respondents answered questions
regarding domestic violence in their marriage or cohabitating
relationship. Demographic variables included age, sex, marital status,
number of children, employment status, religious affiliation,
household income, education level, health status, alcohol usage, and
occupation, as well as the sex and age of the respondent's children
and household members.