Experts of the open dialogue in the National Centre RUSSIA called a strong large family the main value of the future

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The open dialogue "Values of the Future" was held at the National Centre RUSSIA as part of the II All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting Hearts." Experts, parents with many children, and business representatives discussed the role of family in the lives of modern young people, talked about priorities and values, and suggested ways to find a balance between family and work without giving up ambitions and goals.

The session was based on an analysis of life situations and the results of a study on raising a family and having children. The study was conducted among young people by a joint team of Russian State Humanities University and the National Research University HSE. The moderator of the meeting was Mikhail Bashkatov, a Russian actor of theater, cinema, television and dubbing, TV presenter, father of many children.

Danil Putiltsev, Director of Center for Socio-Cultural Design at Russian State Humanities University, a project manager, commented on the study. 

"Family and children are, I would say, an existential priority and value for our youth. The second most important thing, which is logical, are income and housing, profession and career. On the other hand, the age of marriage and the birth of children is also increasing, and all we will have to meet these challenges together," said Danil Putiltsev.

The speakers discussed the difficulties of moving from human-centricity to family-centricity, and talked about the obligations that companies must accept towards family employees in order to motivate citizens to start a family.

"The main concerns about having children in the family are related to work. Despite all the efforts made by the state to support large families, 69% of respondents say that employers consider having children more likely as an obstacle to employment and career promotion, which, of course, only strengthens the public stereotype. To change this, it is necessary that the employer has a material interest in supporting such families. And such tools already exist: for example, an Ecology-Human Resources-State rating of responsible business has been created and is functioning. Its idea is that the social measures introduced at the enterprise will be included in its so-called portfolio to receive, for example, tax and other preferences," said Ivan Sukhov, Director of Research Center for Problems of Demography and Population at the Russian State Humanities University.

Artur Romanenko, Director of the Research Center of the Russian Ministry of Transport, stressed that not a one-time, but systematic support for employees is important. In his opinion, when an employee firmly knows that he is valuable to the organization and can count on its help in any circumstances, this largely forms the very dedication to the chosen profession, which gets back to the company with multiple returns. 

"A good employee who leaves work early to attend a kindergarten matinee, for example, will do twice as much the next day, because he realizes that people are loyal to him and in return he will value both his workplace and the entire team. This, among other things, helps the company to acquire the best specialists," emphasized Artur Romanenko. 

Daria Stabetskaya, a multiple champion in ballroom dancing, a popular blogger, a mother with many children, and a public figure, shared her personal experience of overcoming a crisis situation. When her husband lost the ability to work, they had three small children.

"There is no one stronger, more powerful and more efficient person than a mother with many children in a difficult life situation. But even when I was pregnant with my fourth child, I didn't regret it for a second, on the contrary, I decided that this was a sign from above and we would cope with everything. And now, looking at my grown-up children, I think: "God, I'm so glad I gave birth to them!" After all, children are a source of constant happiness, and no career in the world will give you such happiness," Daria Stabetskaya is convinced.

Fears of having many children are often far-fetched, said the mother of six children, entrepreneur Pelageya Sterligova, confidently. In her speech, she broke down stereotypes by talking about the principles of building relationships in a large family, and shared the secrets of combining motherhood with entrepreneurship.

"We've always lived with an idea that postponing something important is pointless. After all, a career can collapse at any moment, so why not start it together with children? Many women are afraid that they will get married, give birth, and that's it. You can't go out with your friends, go to a birthday party, have a romantic date with your husband, and so on. But personally, I don't feel like I've missed anything in my life while raising children. You need to understand that children don't need our sacrifices. They should integrate into our adult lives and adapt to it, not the other way around. Therefore, I believe that children should be born, and this should be done as early as possible. After all, even if a child, for example, sometimes does not sleep well at night, it is much easier not to sleep together with him when you are still young," Pelageya Sterligova urged.

The main outcome of the discussion was a simple but profound thought: children are a continuation of love, not an act of calculation. No benefits, financial support or something else can replace the warmth that parental hearts, sincere care, strong family ties and trust that are formed between generations give. These eternal values, in their opinion, are an important foundation for building the future.

The II All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting Hearts" opened in the space of the National Centre RUSSIA on July 8, the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity. It continued the tradition of the First All-Russian Wedding Festival, which was held in 2024 at the International RUSSIA EXPO. More than 200 couples from different regions of the country officially registered their marriage at the venue of the second festival. An eventful three-day cultural and educational program also awaited the guests and participants of the event: festive processions of the newlyweds, thematic lectures and public talks, master classes, gastronomic performances, concerts of stars and much more.