Speaking Time: Typical Ukrainian Family
Read about a typical Ukrainian family and speak about family trends in Ukraine.
Level B1 / B2
We are born in a family, we grow up in a family. When we leave our parents we make our own family, because we can not live without a family. Family is our shelter from crises and pain. Family is a shelter where there is love, respect, appreciation, understanding without words, support and care.
Modern families are very different from what they used to be some decades ago. Family norms, values and priorities have been globally stereotyped. Nowadays the age of marriage is increasing. It is fashionable not to register a marriage and live in a civil marriage. Civil marriage or union does not reduce the pain of divorce because people bonded without any obligations, feel as a result useless.
A traditional full or nuclear family consisting of four people – mother, father and two children does not seem to be a priority nowadays. Such family distinguishing notions appeared as happy family, problematic family, young family, incomplete family, multichildren family, wealthy family or poor family, single parent family, sufficiently and insufficiently provided family and childless family.
In Ukraine there are many incomplete families so many children are brought up in single parent families. There is extremely difficult situation with large poor families and families with disabled children.
Global family standards are mostly imposed by the way of life. Now Ukrainian spiritual values like mutual support, respect and mutual compromising, a marriage once and for ever are supplanted by pragmatism, and striving for full material independence. Spouses are reluctant to understand each other, accept the other’s opinion, compromise and forgive or take responsibility for their actions. Too high demands and surpassing expectations along with ordinary domestic disputes erode even the most sincere and passionate relationships. For this reason every second couple divorces within the first ten years of marriage life.
Housing conditions are another important factor to be considered by young parents. Poor housing conditions lead to the decline of fertility in a society, as it is tremendously difficult to raise children without favorable modern house conveniences fearing lest your offspring should grow jealous of others living much better.
Getting youth mortgage is very difficult in Ukraine, which is complicated with low wages and economic instability in the country.
Family ties tend to be rapidly severed as there is so little time for communication in the family, spending together leisure time, absence of family traditions and tendency to be cocooned in comfort and ignorance.
Whatever the outward influences might be, the contemporary Ukrainian family continues to raise happy, successful children.
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