THE POPULATION OF UKRAINE (11 клас, Підручник: Кучма М. О., Задорожна І. П, друга іноземна)
стор 185-186 скрипт до аудіо файлу Lesson 45, exercise 7, p. 100
THE POPULATION OF UKRAINE
Ukraine’s population has been shrinking, and that’s a fact. Today we are talking about
42.5 million Ukrainians, while by 2050, the demographers say the population will drop to
35-37 million people. One of the reasons for this reduction is considered to be emigration.
According to the official information of the State Statistics Service, Ukraine has a positive
balance of migration (from January to July more than 192,000 left Ukraine and more than
195,000 arrived). However, the experts are skeptical about the objectivity of these data.
“Our state statistics, usually, take a better account of those who arrive than those who
leave. Moreover, people often fail to even report on their departure,” says CEDOS analyst
Oleksandr Slobodyan. The experts are convinced that for Ukraine, labor migration is
a stable process that reflects the phenomena that have long prevailed in Ukraine: lack of
good jobs, insufficient wages, etc The second factor of a significant reduction in the number of Ukrainians is the natural
decline in the population (people die much more often than they are born). From January
to July 2017, just over 209,000 babies were born, while more than 340,000 people died
(the data are provided without taking into account the territory of the temporarily occupied
Crimea and Donbas). The very birth rate is getting lower every year (in the same period
last year, there were 227,000 newborns reported) and, according to demographers, this
trend will prevail.
It is worth noting that in matters of making children, Ukrainians tend to focus on
European models. Back in the 1990s, many young people reconsidered their vision of
the number of children in a family. Pairs wanted to have fewer children only to be able
to provide their kids with a better start in financial terms. Among other things, there is
a tendency in Ukraine toward the increase in the age of mothers giving birth for the first
time. Modern women try first to get education, assert themselves in their profession, and
only then to realize themselves as mothers. Of course, compared to European countries,
where women give birth at an average age of 31, Ukrainian mothers are still below on this
scale with just an average age of 27 years. But it is likely that the age of childbearing in
Ukraine will continue to increase. “After all, Ukrainian women are attached to the family.
Creating a family and giving birth to a child is one of their main values,” Aksyonova said.
By the way, the migration factor also affects the birth rate. “In any case, people planning to
move, even just for education purposes with the view to return, postpone their childbearing
plans for a later period,” the demographer notes.
In fact, a lot of factors affect the decision of a typical Ukrainian couple to make
children, postpone the issue to more favorable times, or not to make kids at all. Economic
and political instability, the housing problem, infrastructure issues, as well as difficulties in
finding a place for a child in a kindergarten and school — all these factors repel the plans
for procreation.
It is a pity, but the Ukrainian population is declining with the every next year. The
process started in 1990 and it is also connected with the high level of death and low level
of birth in the country, bad ecology, difficult economic situation in the country and other
factors. Statistics says that Ukrainian population is reduced by 150 000 people every year.
What is the current population of Ukraine, and what is the projected population by 2050?
What are the main factors contributing to the reduction in Ukraine's population?
How do experts view the accuracy of migration data provided by the State Statistics Service?
What are the two main factors contributing to the significant reduction in the number of Ukrainians?
How has the attitude towards family planning and childbirth changed among Ukrainian couples since the 1990s?
What is the average age of mothers giving birth for the first time in Ukraine, and how does it compare to European countries?
How does migration affect the birth rate in Ukraine, according to demographers?
What are some factors that influence the decision of Ukrainian couples regarding family planning?
What are some challenges mentioned in the text that deter Ukrainian couples from having children?
What are some reasons mentioned in the text for the declining population of Ukraine since 1990?
Створюйте онлайн-тести
для контролю знань і залучення учнів
до активної роботи у класі та вдома
