Family and fertility in the conditions of modernization of Kazakhstan

Қысқаша сипаттамасы

One of the main development trends in Kazakhstan after overcoming the crisis of the 1990s has been urbanization, which led to significant changes in reproductive behavior. Birth rates have fluctuated - from falling below the level of natural replacement to achieving levels of confidence, even surplus, extended reproduction, followed by a subsequent decline. Goal of this article is to analyze the dynamics of birth rates in Kazakhstan as a factor of the adaptation processes of family institutions to new conditions in the context of social modernization and urbanization. Results. The article explores the causes of these processes and their connection to the shift from traditional family structures to modernized ones. Birth rate is becoming an important indicator of the transformation of traditional family institutions, which were formed in rural environments, into urban family models characterized by different levels of fertility. The authors apply an interdisciplinary approach, analyzing changes in birthrate vectors and the transformation of family institutions as processes with both demographic and social characteristics. Conclusion. The decline in birth rates in Kazakhstan since 2021 is associated with changes in the age and gender structure of the population and the adaptation of families to new socio-economic conditions. In this context, a model of medium fertility is becoming dominant - one that ensures stable reproduction without a sharp increase in social burden. At the same time, various family types - ranging from large families to single-parent and low-fertility households - will continue to exist, reflecting Kazakhstan's sociocultural diversity and its transition toward an urbanized nation.