Single Parents in the Transformation Period: The Results of Qualitative Research in Kazakhstan

The growing prevalence of single parents makes it necessary to examine this alternative family forms and to study its strengths and weaknesses. According to experts, scientists, politicians and representatives of public associations, this trend has great impact on society. On the loss of the central role of the nuclear family in the changing world, the transformations in the families of the Western world and their consequences for people and the well-being of children raised in single parents' families, studies were conducted, various data were analyzed and extensive literature published. Stand out post-Soviet countries of Central Asia, in spite of the uniqueness of each of these countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) they share a common Soviet past, the subsequent and ongoing transformation period. The former countries of the Soviet Union are still in transitional period, which affects the social well-being of the population and their life as a whole. Studies conducted in the Central Asian republics testify to the negative impact of the transformation on the satisfaction of the population of these countries. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to various changes and consequences, not only in the political, economic and social spheres of independent Kazakhstan, but also in the sphere of family-marriage relations. For the study of the former Soviet Union, including Central Asia, around the world set up research institutes and centers, but still do not have enough knowledge and first-hand information about the various aspects of life in this region. One of these little-studied topics is the situation, the socioeconomic status of single parents in the countries of Central Asia. This paper presents the results of study conducted by qualitative method, to study the life of single-parent families, their survival strategies and challenges faced by single parents in the biggest city of Kazakhstan – Almaty.