Original scientific paper
Demographic Frame and Development of Family Structure of the Croatian Population from 1971-2001
Dražen Živić
Abstract
The paper deals with the investigation on the family structure of the Croatian population and changes in its development over the past thirty years (1971–2001). The most important demographic and socio-economic factors that lead to changes in the family structure were summarized and evaluated. The interrelation of cause and effect between the demographic development of Croatia and the changes in the family composition as well as the trends of nuptiality and divorce-rate was established. The contemporary family differs significantly from the traditional one not only by its place in society but also by its inner structure and relationship as well as demographic features. The processes of industrialization, urbanization, deagrarization, deruralization, modernization and others, have greatly changed the place, role and importance of marriage and family in Croatia. The family is becoming more undesirable or at least an unattractive social institution. The parental role in marriage and in family has been neglected. More favourable are extramarital couples, who obviously ensure enough personal freedom to both of partners to satisfy their own professional and other needs. The demographic context of development in the family structure of the Croatian population is becoming all the more unfavourable. In view of this, two long-term and global demographic processes concerning depopulation indicators should be emphasized: long-term fast decrease of birth-rate and demographic aging. These are the most acute and current demographic problems in Croatia today, which directly implies disturbance in the development of the family structure of the Croatian population. The decrease in the number of marriages, increase in the number of extramarital couples, increase in the number of single mothers and fathers in the family structure and the great significance in the increase in the number of children born out of wedlock, exemplify the necessity to create and carry out different unique measures of population and family politics (strategies) which will follow the contemporary processes in the family development of the Croatian population.
Keywords
CROATIA; POPULATION; FAMILY; NUPTIALITY; DIVORCE-RATE; BIRTH-RATE
Hrčak ID:
14486
URI
Publication date:
30.6.2003.
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