“Abortion Culture” in Russia: Its Origins,Scope,and Challenge to Social Development

Abstract

This paper focuses on one aspect of Russia's critical demographic condition: its extraordinarily high rate of abortion. We show that much in the current crisis may be attributed to the persistent cultural legacies of the Soviet past. Using survey data collected in Russia in 2002 along with the 1998 ISSP Religion II data, historical accounts, and statistics on abortion, we suggest that the “abortion culture” that emerged in Russia under communism has had a lasting impact on Russians' perceptions of this issue. This “culture” manifests itself in the widespread and deep-seated view that abortion is a “normal” way of dealing with medical and socioeconomic hardships in personal and family life. These beliefs may account for the fact that Russia's abortion rate is still among the highest in the world, despite generational replacement in the at-risk age group, dramatically improved access to modern contraceptives, and greater openness of public discussion of sexual and reproductive issues. The theoretical importance of this study, in our view, transcends its empirical boundaries: it points to powerful limitations that the informal, unofficial and mundane institutions that had emerged under communism impose on social development and social policy in post-communist societies.