Marriage and Family Relations among the Udmurts of Russia in the Second Half of the 20th –– Early 21st Centuries

10.33876/2311-0546/2024-4/254-268

Abstract

The article examines changes in marital status among the Udmurts of Russia in 1959–2021. Based on population census materials, both published and unpublished, a comparison with the overall Russian population is given. After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the Udmurts experienced a huge imbalance between married men and women, caused by huge human losses at the front. Later, this gap began to narrow, but was not completely overcome. On the other hand, all censuses (except 1979) recorded a higher proportion of married Udmurt men compared to Russian men. The percentage of married Udmurt women also grew higher than that of Russian women since 1989. Another difference was the increased proportion of widowed Udmurt women due to the premature mortality among men. In 1979, the demographic consequences of the Great Patriotic War were still very noticeable. In 1989, the proportion of widows among Udmurt women decreased, which to a certain extent was facilitated by the anti-alcohol campaign. With its end, male mortality rose very quickly, which led to an increase in the proportion of widows. According to a number of indicators, the marital status of the Udmurts was the best in 1989. For example, the proportion of those who were married was at its maximum, the proportion of those who had never been married was decreasing, and Udmurts were less likely to remarry compared to all residents of Udmurtia. There also was a tendency towards a decrease in the proportion of Udmurt widows. Termination of the anti-alcohol campaign, collapse of the USSR, reforms of the 1990s interrupted the positive trends and had a negative impact on the marital status of the Udmurts. Recent data suggests that a registered marriage still is valued among the Udmurts. However, the identified trends look alarming. The proportion of married people is steadily declining, the age of marriage has shifted to older categories, the proportion of widows and divorced people continues to grow.