Housing policy as an important component of family policy in Russia and France

The support of the families with children is the most important part of the family policy, especially in countries with fertility below the replacement level. Such countries are on their road to the depopulation. Russia has joined to the low fertility countries in the 1960-s; since that time a housing problem is the sensitive topic for many families in Russia; housing acute shortage, bad quality of living conditions are one of the top of obstacles to have another child in Russia. This study examines the housing problem in family policy in Russia and in France. This project is an analysis of the different family policy measures in Russia in the demographic and economic context and their potential efficiency comparing to the French and European experience in the same area. Author explores regional differences in housing problem aspects and solutions in family support (measures and budget expenses) and demographic results in different regions of Russian Federation. The data set of the research is the waves of Russian and French GGS and the recent survey “Family and Fertility” conducted in Russia in 2009.