The aim of the study presented in this article is to determine the characteristics of Russian mothers seeking care and education services for their children. This work examines the transformation of the traditional family function of raising, socializing and educating children. Currently we are witnessing an increase in the number of parents who resort to paid family services. Therefore it is important to understand the evolution of this market segment, what defines consumers’ choice of services and which types of services are the most popular, while also assessing costumer satisfaction with the services they acquired. Analysis is conducted based on a series of semi-structured interviews with Russian women who have children of preschool or school age. Respondents included both working (be it on hire or self-employed) and unemployed women. Research was conducted within Nizhniy Novgorod city limits. While conducting the interviews, it was discovered that the basic selection of paid services which parents acquire includes services offered by children’s development centers, paid additional lessons at kindergarten or school, sports clubs, dance, art and foreign language lessons; children’s parties – renting dedicated facilities, hiring clowns, purchasing thematic programs and holiday treats; hiring babysitters (either on a regular basis or on demand), psychologists and parenting coaches. The authors reached the conclusion that modern urban families tend to split their responsibility (delegate authority) for raising, caring for and educating their children with those who have expertise in this field. Consumption of services by urban families starts earlier and continues for a longer period of time – in line with their children maturing – there’s not too much diversity, but consumption does depend on such important motives as the desire to satisfy today’s requirements for raising and developing children, parents freeing up spare time for their own needs, taking care of the child’s future. 

 maternity, family functional, paid services, the market of family services, trust, child development, socialization, family life

Adriani F., Sonderegger S. Why do Parents Socialize Their Children to Behave Pro-socially? An Information-based Theory. Munich Personal RePEc Archive, 2009; July 8. Available at: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/16107 [accessed 24.04.2020]. 

Balakina T.P. The economy of private tutoring. Economika obrazovaniya = Education economics, 2012: 2: 115–121 (In Russ.). 

Bauman Z. The city of fears, the city of hopes. Logos, 2008: 3: 24–53 (In Russ.). 

Bauman Z. Europe of Strangers. Oxford University Transnational Communities working paper. Oxford (UK), 2010. Available at: http://www.transcomm.ox.ac.uk/working%20papers/ bauman.pdf [accessed 25.04.2019]. 

Chernova Zh., Shpakovskaya L. Professionalization of Parenting: between Expert and Casual Knowledge. Zhurnal issledovaniy sotsialnoy politiki = The Journal of Social Policy Studies, 2016: 14: 4: 521 –534 (In Russ.). 

Filipova, A., Vysotskaya, A.V. Educational inequality in Russian schools: the influence of territorial factor. Vestnik instituta sotziologii = Institute of Sociology Bulletin, 2019: 10: 4: 150–163. DOI: 10.19181/vis.2019.31.4.610 (In Russ.). 

Furedi F. Paranoid Parenting. London: Allen Lane, 2001. 

Golofast V.B. Functions of Family. Family and Personality. Moscow,1974: 57–68 (In Russ.). 

Grebennikov I.V. The foundations of family life. Moscow: Prosveschenie, 1991.158 p. (In Russ.). 

Hays S. The Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood. New Haven, Yale University Press, 1996: 272.

Isupova O.G. You are mom: Inevitable Heroism and Unavoidable Guilt of Maternity. Polit. ru – the Website, 2014. Available at: http://polit.ru/article/2014/02/01/isoupova [accessed 25.04.2020]. 

Korenkova M.M. Modern tendencies for the development of the family services market. Analyzing Russian and foreign practices. Vestnik instituta sotziologii = Institute of Sociology Bulletin, 2017: 21: 52–70 (In Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/vis.2017.21.2.454 

Korenkova M., Samylina D., Trundova O. Commercialization of family functions: between supply and demand. Interaktsiya. Interviju. Interpretatsiya. = Interaction. Interview. Interpretation, 2019: 11: 20: 114–132 (In Russ.). DOI: 10.19181/inter.2019.20.6 

Lee E., Bristow J., Faircloth C., Macvarish J. Parenting Culture Studies. London, Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. 

Matskovskiy M. Sociology of Family: Problems of Methodology and Methods. Moscow, 1989: 116. (In Russ.). 

Moskvicheva N.L., Rean A.A., Kostromina S.N., Grishina N.V., Zinov’eva E.V. Life Models of Young People: Some Ideas About the Future Family and the Model Broadcast by Parents. Psihologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie = Psychology and Education, 2019: 24: 3: 5–18 (In Russ.). 

Polivanova K.N. Contemporary Parenthood as a Subject of Study. Psihologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie = Psychology and Education, 2015: 7: 2: 1–11 (In Russ.). 

Polivanova K.N., Vopilova I.E. and oth. Self-efficiency as meaningful base for educational programs for parents. Voprosy obrazovaniya = Education issues, 2015: 4: 184–200 (In Russ.). 

Polivanova K.N. Childhood in the changing world. Sovremennaya zarubezhnaya psihologiya = Journal of Modern Foreign Psychology, 2016: 5 (2): 5–10 (In Russ.). 

Polutova M.A., Zhanbaz O.O. Value and motivation attitudes of the “Childfree” communities. Vestnik ZabGU = Zabaykalsky State University Bulletin, 2015: 1: 116: 89–101 (In Russ.). 

Ryabova V.V. Transformation of family functions in modern society.Problemy sotsialno-economicheskogo razvitiya Sibiri = Problems of Socio-Economic Development of Siberia, 2014: 17: 106–112 (In Russ.). 

Sizova I.L “The New Fatherhood” in the Context of the Family Policy Traditions and Innovations in Europe. Zhurnal sotsiologii i sotsial’noy antropologii = The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology, 2012: 60 (1): 86–103 (In Russ.). 

Sizova I.L. Social-cultural factors of violence escalation in Russian school. Monitoring obschestvennogo mneniya: economicheskie i sotsialnyie peremeny = Public Opinion Monitoring: Economic and Social Change, 2016: 2 (132): 185–192 (In Russ.). 

Sizova I.L., Egorova N.Y. Violence in school and family problems. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya = Sociological Studies, 2016: 3: 128–131(in Russ.). 

Wall G. Is Your Child’s Brain Potential Maximized? Mothering in an Age of New Brain Research. Atlantis, 2004: 28 (2): 41–50. 

Wall G. Mothers’ Experiences with Intensive Parenting and Brain Development Discourse. Women’s Studies International Forum, 2010: 33 (3): 253–63. 

Zinovieva E.V., Kazantseva T.V., Pleshkova A.N., Kostromina S.N. The quality of paternal relationship in modern Russia. The European Proceedings of Social & Behavioral Sciences: International Conference Early Childhood Care and Education, 2018: XLIII: 33: 248–256.