| Abstract: | Results of a 1976 sample survey of 1616 mothers of 4 or more children in Tashkent are presented. The high natural increase of the Central Asian populations will largely determine the dynamics of Soviet population growth for the foreseeable future. For indigenous Central Asian families, having many children is an expression of the traditions of the ethnic community, which are highly conservative and change only under the direct impact of socioeconomic conditions. More than 1/2 the surveyed mothers were under 40. No substantial differences were noted in the average number of children among mothers of large families with different educational levels. 19.2% of mothers of large families have specialized secondary education or above. The average number of children of mothers of large families with a higher education is close to that of groups with no specialized education and of the whole surveyed group. The survey revealed that the average number of children/mother was 5.6 in Tashkent compared to 7.3 in rural areas. 92.5% of the mothers were married and most were still in 1st marriages. 40% had married before age 20 and 81.1% before age 25. The average age at marriage of women declined by 11 years between 1915 and 1954, reflecting socioeconomic changes and a steady rise in material well-being. 53% of the mothers are employed in social production, with employment rate steadily increasing with woman's age. More than 1/3 of nonworking women in the survey reported they wanted to find a job. Only 30.9% of the women had never worked. The employment of most of the surveyed women in low-skilled or unskilled jobs suggests that the quality of the labor force is not high, but the positive aspects fostered by large families such as industriousness and collectivism should also be considered in assessing population quality. |
