Socio-Demographic Factors in the Organization of Living Conditions and Daily Routine for Modern Preschoolers: Based on the Materials of a Sociological Survey

Abstract

Background. In research on child psychology, little has been studied about the everyday aspects of organizing a child’s life, which include personal space, sleep conditions, and daily routines. At the same time, the qualities of living space are significant in characterizing the social situation of a child’s development.

Objective. The study is focused on the role of socio-demographic factors (the number of children in a family, the age of the child, parents’ education level, complete or incomplete family, financial situation) in the organization of living conditions and daily routine of a preschooler.

Study Participants. The study involved 42,864 people (96.9% women) — parents of preschool children.

Methods. The questionnaire survey method was used (the survey platform anketolog.ru was applied). The data are processed using regression analysis. The answers to the following questions: “Describe the living conditions of your child”, “Where does your child sleep?”, “Do you follow your child’s daily routine?” were analyzed.

Results. It is shown that in families with one child, parents more often seek to allocate personal space for the child in the form of a “corner” or a separate room. It was revealed that at the age of 4, the proportion of parents who are flexible about the child’s daily routine increases, and the transition of families from co-sleeping to individual sleep is also noted here. The level of education of parents determines the differences in attitudes towards daily routine: parents without higher education adhere to a more flexible strategy, parents with higher education adhere to a more rigid one. Families with a high level of financial security are characterized by a more autonomous position of children in relation to the organization of living conditions, in contrast to low-income families. It has been shown that single-parent families are more likely to practice co-sleeping and a gentle attitude to the daily routine.

Conclusions. The organization of a child’s living space is a reflection of the processes of age separation in children, and can also act as a means of transfering life attitudes from parents to children.