On 11 June 2013 research paper Analysis of Marriage and Divorce Rate Trends of the Population of the Republic of Belarus from 1946 to 2010 was presented. This research has become the first stage of the national survey “Starting a Family, Family Stability of Belarusians and Birth Rate in the Changing Socioeconomic Conditions of Life in the Republic of Belarus”. The analysis was initiated by the UN Population Fund, UN Children’s Fund and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

“High emphasis is placed on family policy in Belarus, therefore, it is essential to study the context in which the policy is implemented and realize the dynamics of change in the society. It is exactly the understanding of marriage and divorce rate processes in the country over quite a long time what this study provides” said Tatyana Haplichnik, UNFPA Programme Analyst, when speaking about the background of this survey.

For the first time divorce and marriage rates covering the period from 1946 to 2010 have been aggregated and digitized in cooperation with the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus as the first part of the survey.

Marriage rate trends were contemplated in the context of population composition, and the factors influencing decisions to enter a marriage were analyzed. Besides, the authors of the paper defined major divorce rate trends in the Republic of Belarus.

Based on the findings recommendations on improving the collection of current statistical information pertaining to the above topics were elaborated to facilitate its further analysis in decision taking.

The next step would be conducting an opinion poll among 7000 households. The poll will make it possible to collect information on the peculiarities of the processes of starting a family and family functioning, as well as changes of attitudes between partners (spouses), parents and children over the family life cycle, and assess how families responded to different family policies.