Every third child in Russia is born to a single mother

The published data of the last census in Russia reveal the fact that population in Russia is constantly reducing.
According to the census, today less children are born by Russian women than it used to be. Women have children at older age, and the average Russian family consists of two or three people. Sociologists are concerned that if this trend continues, the population of the country will be greatly reduced in future. To maintain the current number of people in Russia, every woman should have at least two children. Today the ratio is 1.3 children per woman. 
The census data have been published in the brochure by State Statistics Committee. The Committee Chairman Vladimir Sokolin had a press conference, where he said that the number of married couples in Russia decreased by two million (34 million married couples today versus 36 million in 1989, the date of last census). In addition, 3 million couples are not officially married and live under civil marriage. 30 per cent of children are born in such families.
According to Sokolin, some people do not consider having relationships and living together as having a family. Women more often say they are married than men, the number of women claiming they have a family is 65 thousand more than the number of men saying this. This figure is three times as big as it was in 1989. The number of the people who have never been married and the divorced increased 40 per cent.
According to the Chairman of the State Statistics Committee, the brochure with the census results has circulation of 100 thousand copies and will be sent to libraries, universities, federal and local governments and international organizations. In 2004 State Statistics Committee will publish 14 volume book having detailed account of the census.

Maksim Pogodin
http://www.utro.ru/articles/2003/12/10/258319.shtml