Global challenges in the life situations of Ukrainian youth

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State University «Uzhhorod National University»

Global challenges in the life situations of Ukrainian youth

Bartosh Olena Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, PhD, Professor Department of Sociology and Social Work

Uzhhorod, Ukraine

Abstract

The formation of modern youth takes place in the period of socio-political transformations, directly impacting the life orientations of young people, their behaviour, social-economic situation. These factors contribute to the spread of risks associated with threats to health and life, uncertainty of life start and self-realization, value and regulatory uncertainty. The purpose of the article: to study approaches to identifying risk factors that impact the youth environment. Research methods applied: analysis and synthesis of scientific literature (to clarify the key concepts of the study), systematization (in order to identify existing scientific approaches to solving the problem), theoretical generalization (to formulate the final provisions and conclusions). If earlier scientific researches were mainly concentrated within the limits of natural-scientific and economic courses, now the allocation of a separate interdisciplinary direction - riskology is actual. The majority of young people experience the problem of life-start, which has a negative impact on the working career of young people, their family life and lifestyle and makes young people financially dependent on their parents. Globalization has had a significant impact on the development of the risk society. In the context of globalization, traditional social ties are being destroyed; young people avoid traditional restrictions, but at the same time lose a sense of reliability, stability, confidence in the future and feel anxious and afraid of the need to choose. Therefore, public policy should take into account all the factors that have a negative impact on the youth environment and help minimize the risks and form «socially healthy» youth.

Key words: factors, risk, social integration, student youth.

Анотація

Бартош Олена Павлівна кандидат педагогічних наук, професор кафедра соціології та соціальної роботи

ДВНЗ «Ужгородський національний університет», м.Ужгород, Україна

ГЛОБАЛЬНІ ВИКЛИКИ В ЖИТТЄВИХ СИТУАЦІЯХ УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ МОЛОДІ

Формування сучасної молоді відбувається в період суспільно-політичних перетворень, що безпосередньо впливає на життєві орієнтації молоді, її поведінку, соціально-економічне становище. Такі умови сприяють поширенню ризиків пов'язаних із загрозою здоров'ю та життю, з невизначеністю життєвого старту та самореалізацією, ціннісно-нормативною невизначеністю. Метою даної статті є розглянути тенденції ризику в життєвих ситуаціях сучасної української молоді. Методи дослідження: аналіз і синтез наукової літератури (для з'ясування ключових понять дослідження), систематизація (з метою виявлення наявних наукових підходів до вирішення означеної проблеми), теоретичне узагальнення (для формулювання підсумкових положень та висновків). Характерною для більшої частини молоді є проблема життєвого старту, яка чинить негативний вплив на трудову кар'єру молодих людей, їх сімейне життя і спосіб життя та робить молодь матеріально залежними від батьків. Неабиякий вплив на розвиток суспільства ризику зробила глобалізація. В умовах глобалізації руйнуються традиційні соціальні зв'язки; молодь звільняється від традиційних обмежень, але в той же час позбавляється почуття надійності, стабільності, впевненості в майбутньому і відчуває почуття тривожності і страху перед необхідністю вибору. Тому державній політиці варто враховувати всі чинники, що роблять негативний вплив на молодіжне середовище і сприяти мінімізації прояву ризиків та формувати «соціально здорову» молодь.

Ключові слова: фактори, ризик, соціальна інтеграція, студентська молодь.

Introduction

These days adolescents and youth, being the quarter of the world's population, shape social and economic development and build the foundation of the world's future. The beginning of the XXI century is marked by the aggravation of youth problems in different countries, among which Ukraine is no exception. Nowadays, Ukrainian youth is affected by: political and economic crisis in the country; unemployment; unresolved housing conditions; poor health; social disorders; economic and psychological dependence on parents; marital and family problems (high divorce rate, family conflicts); low birth rate; loss of ideals, social perspective, and life optimism.

The article purpose: to consider the risk tendencies in the life situations of modern Ukrainian youth. Research methods: analysis and synthesis of scientific literature (to clarify the key concepts of the study), systematization (in order to identify existing scientific approaches to solving the problem), theoretical generalization (to formulate the final provisions and conclusions).

Literature review. Risk is closely linked to the history of social development and has always existed, so knowledge of risks is of high demand. Risk research has been conducted for a long time and constantly by the representatives of a significant number of sciences. Each of the sciences describes risk from its point of view, builds schemes, identifies patterns and connections, develops theory and proposes methods for managing and minimizing risk. If earlier scientific researches were mainly concentrated within the frames of natural- scientific and economic disciplines, nowadays the devision of a separate interdisciplinary direction - risk science - becomes topical. Risk research includes but is not limited to: theoretical doctrines of the «risk society» of W. Beck [1], A. Giddens [2], and N. Luhmann [3]; «concept of social risk enhancement» after R. Kasperson's et al. [4]; «psychometric paradigms» of risk after P. Slovic, S. Lichtenstein and B. Fishhoff [5].

Results

Based on the data of official statistics, we consider the tendencies of risk in the life situations of modern Ukrainian youth. youth risk socially healthy

1. Social-demographic situation

The demographic component of social reproduction plays a leading role in the social development of youth and society. Birth and death rates, health and life expectancy are among the most important indicators that characterize the state of society, the degree of its well-being. Social-demographic problems are among the most acute in the life situations of young people. Issues of setting a family or breaking it up, giving birth to a child, child's health and development, keeping health and safety pose numerous risks for young people in any society. Thus, uncertainty in these situations in a society of risk increases.

The demographic situation is influenced by many factors (economic, social, social-psychological, political, environmental, demographic), which are the indicators of society functioning. Taking conditions of demographic situation as a basis, we can clearly trace the beginning of becoming a society of risk and its development.

The persistent depopulation is a direct evidence of the growing risk in Ukrainian society. The dynamics of population change demonstrates, that the beginning of demographic degradation of Ukraine very accurately coincides in time with the development of the systemic crisis, and falls on 1994 (Table 1.)

Table 1. Ukraine's population, 1990 - 2020 (the number for 2002 is given on the basis of the All-Ukrainian census data - December 2001) (since 2014 - excluding the occupied territories (Crimea, Sevastopol, parts of Donbass)

Source: [7]

The escalation of risk in society cannot but affect the marital status of young people. Under conditions of uncertainty, young people tend to refrain from making responsible decisions and postpone marriages. This is evidenced by the changes that take place in the marital behavior of young people.

All modern tendencies taking place in marriage sphere, can be observed in Ukraine. These are, first of all, raising the age of people getting married for the first time. In Ukraine it is lower than in most European countries. Nowadays, the average age of first marriage registration for women is 25 years, and for men - almost 28 years. The tendency to early marriage, i.e. marriages before the age of 18, has gone. The marriage curve of Ukraine has a sinusoidal shape. The number of marriages decreases sharply in a leap year. Accordingly, there are more of them before and after a leap year (Table 2).

Table 2. The number of marriages in Ukraine, 1990 - 2019 (since 2014 - excluding the occupied territories (Crimea, Sevastopol, parts of Donbass)

Source: [6]

In the European Union, there are 1 million divorces per year (6 000 marriages and 2 700 divorces per day) and 7 out of 10 European families have no children. In the USA, 53% of marriages end in divorce (every 6 seconds). The lowest number of divorces is observed in Ireland - no more than 15% annually and Chile - 3% [8].

In recent years, there has been a downward tendency in the number of divorces in Ukraine (Table 3).

Table 3. The number of divorces in Ukraine, 1990 - 2019 (since 2014 - excluding the occupied territories (Crimea, Sevastopol, parts of Donbass)

Source: [7]

The Charitable Foundation «Family», with the assistance of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, conducted a study on the crisis of the Ukrainian family [9]. 1 256 respondents aged 18 to 75 were interviewed in 5 cities of Ukraine - Kyiv, Konotop, Donetsk, Lviv, Sevastopol. Among the respondents, 42% were male and 58% - female, 16% were divorced and 84% - married. Survey results and statistics demonstrated that Ukrainian families were no longer as strong as they used to be. 5262% of divorces were observed among young couples. The peak of divorces occured in the first years of married life due to a misunderstanding in a married couple, mistrust, and financial difficulties. 30% of divorces took place in the western regions of Ukraine, and 70% - in the eastern. Thus, state support is to be aimed at shaping the family image and preparing young people who enter married life, because of numerous challenges they are not ready for. Comprehensive preparation for marriage helps to reduce the number of divorces and improve the demographic situation.

The decrease in the birth rate is also considered as an increased risk in society. Declining birth rates are a significant threat to the processes of social and economic development of any country, as they set a number of risks for:

- Demographic stability: unfavorable population ratio in different age groups; increasing the rate of population aging; population reduction due to a decrease in the number of subsequent generations (e.g., if the birth rate remains at 1.3 children per woman of childbearing age in three demographic generations each lasting 30 years, the fourth generation is only 25% of the first one) [10];

- Economic stability: the loss of competitiveness of the national economy due to the reduction in the number of young skilled workers (according to Eurostat [11] 80% of the latest technologies, used mainly by young people, become outdated within 10 years; in countries whith high production technologies predominating, older workers cannot replace young employees with aqcuired modern education); increase of supply fluctuations on the labor market; reduction of reliability and sustainability of the pension system and social security system; reduction of opportunities for public health care for a growing aging population due to limited fiscal resources; loss of competitiveness of certain regions of a country due to deepening disparities in the age structure of the population;

- Social stability: increase in the income gap between families with children and without children; intensification of fluctuations in the level of workload on educational institutions caused by «demographic waves» of different cohorts; deepening of difference between the number of desired and available children in families; destruction of a «child-friendly» society as a threat to the preservation of childbearing traditions.

During 2020, the population of Ukraine decreased by 314.1 thousand people (excluding the occupied territories of Crimea, Sevastopol, parts of Donbass). The excess of the number of deaths over the number of live births remains significant: 48 births per 100 deaths [12].

According to United Nations projections, by 2050 the population of Ukraine will have decreased by 16% (Table 4).

Table 4. Projections of Ukraine's total population (thousands)

Ukraine is among the top seven European countries in terms of depopulation by 2050 (Table 5).

Table 5. Average annual rate of Europe's population change (%)

Therefore, encouraging an increase in the birth rate is to become a strategically important direction of Ukraine's state policy. Due to the growing demographic problems, reflected in the depopulation, aging of population and decreasing of supply and quality of labor forces, the relevance of this policy direction seems undeniable.

2. Life start situation

The starting positions of young people are broadly seen as the initial potential of the younger generation in social reproduction. Each new generation begins life path, so to speak, not from a «blank slate», but by imitating material conditions and perceiving the life experience of previous generations. Succession of generations provides a simple reproduction of society. However, nowadays the pace of development of social processes becomes so rapid that past experience is not only insufficient, but often an obstacle to modernization. Therefore, the starting potential of young people in modern society is to contain an innovative component that provides expanded social reproduction.

The problems of life start have a negative impact on the working career of young people, their family life and lifestyle. This is reflected in the difficulties that young people overcome in achieving economic independence, a stable position in the professional sphere, in setting a family and in arranging household. On the other hand, there are negative tendencies related to the postponement of professional careers, obstacles to a family setting, and financial dependence on parents. Empirical indicators of un / successful social start are: the level of education achieved before the social selfdetermination; the state of employment; the breadth and stability of interests; the direction of value orientations. Each of them characterizes a certain aspect of a young person's social position and place in the system of social relations, which allows not only to take a position in the social structure, but also to realize individual identity. As a result, different models of life start are formed.

3. Potential for self-realization

The starting position at the very beginning of a young person's life path is the starting point for the further self-realization. Realizing personal potential, abilities and interests in the process of inclusion in public life, young people find their own social status. Therefore, self-realization of young people includes the process of: self-determination; finding place in a society; selfaffirmation in various spheres of life (work, education); self-expression, i.e. self-awareness.

In a risk society, opportunities for self-realization undergo significant changes. In the individual-personal plan, the risk in a situation of self-realization is displayed in the uncertainty of opportunities: to implement life strategy according to abilities and aptitudes; to express oneself in the results of activities; to feel individuality and independence from circumstances. Social consequences of self-realization uncertainty become apparent in the changes taking place in the youth's social composition, social position, social mobility, and social stratification.

Researchers of the problem are forced to draw the disappointing conclusion that in reality the driving forces of self-realization of young people go beyond its influence and control. Reflecting this tendecy, scholars E.Furlong, D.Woodman [14] identify the following types of youth strategies for self-realization:

- «Strategic» model - based on careful life planning with clear goals for the professional development set.

- «Step-by-step» model - based on a vague professional choice, the search for an interesting profession without clear professional orientations.

- «Taking chance» model - characterises a society of risk. The youth is aware of tendecies unpredictability in the professional and other fields, thus simultaneously attempt to realize interests and ambitions through continuing education.

- «Wait-and-see» model - is characterized by a complex of risk victim, which arises due to previous failures, a sense of unnecessary action, and passive expectation of a successful coincidence.

Self-realization is not limited to achieving professional status. In addition, it includes setting a family, gaining independence from the parental family, arranging household, etc. The problem is in delay of the status transitions for all these indicators. In modern Ukrainian society, young people increasingly try to rely on themselves, not wanting to depend on their parents, which of course involves risk. In comparison, 68% of young people in the EU from 16 years (considered as the beginning of working age) to 29 years live with their parents. Moreover, females stay with their parent less often than males - 63% of females and 73% of males live with their parents [15].

Thus, we can identify the main risk of society's influence on the self-realization of young people: (i) the acquisition of professional status is forcibly postponed by young people due to uncertainty in the labor market and limited employment prospects; (ii) the gap in opportunities for successful self-realization between the younger and older generations widens; (iii) the institutional factors of self-realization lose their influence simultaneously with the strengthening of the tendency of its individualization [16; 17].

4. Search for moral support and social guidelines

In the process of self-realization, a young person needs reliable life guidelines. Without a strong reliance on social and group values, that exist in the collective perceptions of people, it is difficult to find a personal sense of existence, to define goals for the nearest and longer perspective, to choose adequate action towards these goals. Due to the normative-regulatory function of values, the motivational sphere of consciousness of the youth acquires a selective and purposeful character.

The effectiveness of search for such landmarks, which can form the basis of a young person's selfawareness, depends both on a young person and on the specific life situation. In any case, this is a difficult and very controversial process. However, it is often unpredictable in uncertainties and risk situations.

There is a shift in the structure of value orientations of young people towards the so-called modern (postmodernist) model, in which individual freedoms resist traditional (modernist) values. However, the pace and the direction of change differ significantly, which is determined by the level of well-being of young people [18].

In other words, by satisfying the basic needs of a comfortable existence, modern societies demonstrate idealistic and universalist aspirations. Moreover, these new values are combined with traditionally liberal ones: freedom, tolerance, permissiveness.

Conclusion

Consideration of aspects of modern approaches to the study of risk allows us to draw the paradigm of social development. Reforming society, its transition to modern one, involves the renewal of the entire system of social relations, as well as the modernization of productive forces and production relations. The process, connected with innovation in all society spheres, cannot be fully predicted. This means it involves a certain risk. Under normal conditions, society is a system that develops dynamically, constantly overcoming one after another stages of modernization. Therefore, risk in the society is a necessary component of social development. Risk society is a specific way of organizing social relations, interaction and relations of people in conditions of uncertainty, when the reproduction of living conditions, of physical and spiritual forces of an individual aquires not socially conditioned, but mostly random, probabilistic character.

Список використаної літератури

1. Beck U. Risk society: towards a new modernity. London: Sage Publications, 1992. 260 p.

2. Gidden A. Fate, risk and security. In A. Giddens (Ed.), Modernity and self-identity: self and society in the Late Modern Age. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1991. P.109-143.

3. Luhmann N. Der Begriff Risiko. In N. Luhmann (Ed.), Soziologie des Risikos. Berlin; New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1991. S.9-40.

4. Kasperson J., Kasperson R., Pidgeon N., Slovic P. The Social amplification of risk: assessing fifteen years of research and theory. In N. Pidgeon, R. Kasperson, P. Slovic (Eds.), The social amplification of risk. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003. P.13-46.

5. Slovic P. Introduction and overview. In P. Slovic (Ed.), The perception of risk. London: Earthscan Publications Ltd., 2000. P.21-37.

6. Міністерство фінансів України. Населення України. URL: https://index.minfin.com.ua/ua/reference/people (дата звернення 18.02.2021)

7. Державна служба статистики України. Шлюби та розірвання шлюбів. URL: http://database.ukrcensus.gov.ua/MULT/ Dialog/statfile_c_files/shlub.html#C0002 (дата звернення 18.02.2021)

8. Сім'я. Статистика розлучень в Україні та світі. URL: https://www.simyapidpokrovom.lviv.ua/?p=7818 (дата звернення 18.02.2021)

9. iPress.ua. Криза української сім'ї. URL: http://ipress.ua/news/kryza_ukrainskoi_simi_61_podruzhnih_par_rozluchayutsya_21641.html (дата звернення18.02.2021)

10. McDonald P. Time for action: public policies to revert low fertility. Pharmaceuticals Policy and Law. 2007. N° 9 (1). Р.237-243.

11. Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union. European Commission Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. Demography Report 2010. Older, more numerous and diverse Europeans. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. 180 p.

12. Державна служба статистики України. Демографічна ситуація в Україні в 2020 році. URL: ukrstat.gov.ua (дата звернення 18.02.2021)

13. UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Probabilistic Population Projections based on the World Population Prospects 2019. URL: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Probabilistic/Population (дата звернення 18.02.2021)

14. Furlong A., Woodman D. (Eds.). Youth and Young Adulthood. Series: Critical concepts in sociology. London: Routledge, 2014. 1544 p.

15. Choroszewicz M., Wolff P Population and social conditions. Eurostat. Statistics in focus, 2010. No 50. URL: https://ec.europa. eu/eurostat/documents/3433488/5565692/KS-SF-10-050-EN.PDF/877f8776-e7fe-4f2b-8bec-0a5cf54dcba4 (дата звернення 19.02.2021)

16. Bartosh O. Social risks for the youth in the dynamics of Ukrainian society / In N.Varha, B.Hvozdetska (Eds.), Challenges and opportunities of the modern risk society: socio-cultural, economic and legal aspects. Praha, Czech Republic: Oktan Print, 2021. P.77-93.

17. Bartosh O. Understanding the risk in the youth environment. Науковий вісник Ужгородського університету. Серія: Педагогіка. Соціальна робота. 2021. Вип. 2 (49). С.20-23.

18. Abramson P, Inglehart R. Generational replacement and value change in eight West European societies. British Journal of Political Science. 1992. April, 22. Р.183-228.

References

1. Beck, U. (1992). Risk society: towards a new modernity. Sage Publications.

2. Giddens, A. (1991). Fate, risk and security. In A. Giddens (Ed.), Modernity and self-identity: self and society in the Late Modern Age (рр.109-143). Polity Press.

3. Luhmann, N. (1991). Der Begriff Risiko. In N. Luhmann (Ed.), Soziologie des Risikos (рр.9-40). Walter de Gruyter.

4. Kasperson, J., Kasperson, R., Pidgeon, N., & Slovic, P. (2003). The Social amplification of risk: assessing fifteen years of research and theory. In N. Pidgeon, R. Kasperson, P. Slovic (Eds.), The social amplification of risk (рр.13-46). Cambridge University Press.

5. Slovic, P. (2000). Introduction and overview. In P. Slovic (Ed.), The perception of risk (рр.21-37). Earthscan Publications Ltd.

6. Ministry of Finance of Ukraine. (2020). Naselennya Ukrayiny [Population of Ukraine]. https://index.minfin.com.ua/ua/ reference/people [in Ukrainian].

7. State Statistics Service of Ukraine (2019). Shlyuby ta rozirvannya shlyubiv [Marriages and divorces]. http://database.ukrcensus. gov.ua/MULT/Dialog/statfile_c_files/shlub.html#C0002 [in Ukrainian].

8. Simya (2017). Statystyka rozluchen' v Ukrayini ta sviti [Divorce statistics in Ukraine and the world]. https://www. simyapidpokrovom.lviv.ua/?p=7818 [in Ukrainian].

9. iPress.ua. (2012). Kryza ukrayins'koyi sim'yi: 61% podruzhnikh par rozluchayut'sya [Crisis of Ukrainian family: 61% of married couples divorse]. http://ipress.ua/news/kryza_ukrainskoi_simi_61_podruzhnih_par_rozluchayutsya_21641.html [in Ukrainian].

10. McDonald, P. (2007). Time for action: public policies to revert low fertility. Pharmaceuticals Policy and Law, 9 (1), 237-243.

11. Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union. European Commission Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. (2011). Demography Report 2010. Older, more numerous and diverse Europeans. Publications Office of the European Union. State Statistics Service of Ukraine. (2021). Demohrafichna sytuatsiya v Ukrayini v 2020 rotsi [Demographic situation in Ukraine in 2020]. ukrstat.gov.ua [in Ukrainian].

12. UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2019). Probabilistic Population Projections based on the World Population Prospects 2019. https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Probabilistic/Population

13. Furlong, A., & Woodman, D. (Eds.). (2014). Youth and Young Adulthood. Series: Critical concepts in sociology. Lonon: Routledge.

14. Choroszewicz, M., & Wolff, P. (2010). Population and social conditions. Eurostat. Statistics in focus, 50. URL: ttps://ec.europa. eu/eurostat/documents/3433488/5565692/KS-SF-10-050-EN.PDF/877f8776-e7fe-4f2b-8bec-0a5cf54dcba4

15. Bartosh, O. Social risks for the youth in the dynamics of Ukrainian society (2021). In N.Varha, B.Hvozdetska (Eds.), Challenges and opportunities of modern risk society: socio-cultural, economic and legal aspects (pp.77-93). Oktan Print.

16. Bartosh, O. (2021). Understanding the risk in the youth environment. Scientific Herald of Uzhhorod University. Series: Pedagogy. Social Work, 2 (49), 20-23.

17. Abramson, P., & Inglehart, R. (1992). Generational replacement and value change in eight West European societies. British Journal of Political Science, April, 22, 183-228.

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