The Socio-Demographic Changes in Contemporary Polish Society - Selected Issues
The Socio-Demographic Changes in Contemporary Polish Society - Selected Issues

Summary/Abstract: The Polish society is currently in the process of changes. These transformations are caused above all by socio-demographic changes that affect the overall shape of Polish society. These changes concern, among others: declines in the number of newly concluded marriages, an increase in the number of divorces, the use of alternative forms of marital-family life (single), a decline in births and the phenomenon of depopulation. Demographers, economists and sociologists have noticed that demographic changes also result from the growing educational and professional aspirations of young people, especially women. (Introductory statement) Therefore, this article presents the socio-demographic changes affecting the basic social cell that is family in contemporary Polish society, and therefore the aim is to analyze the most important indicators of socio-demographic changes in Poland, including, among others: indicators of decline in births, average age of birth of the first child by women, the phenomenon of depopulation, being of professionally active by women. (Objective) The dynamics of socio-demographic changes of the Polish society has been studied in a wide range taking into account both Polish and European statistical data. (Scope) The results show that Polish society is an aging population, struggling with the problem of the lack of generational replacement, with the delayed procreative decisions, the increase in the popularity of alternative forms of marital-family life and low birth rates. (Findings) The reasons are also to be found in the deepening of globalization processes and in European integration, as well as in a big development of new technologies like the Internet, in the cultural amalgamation resulting from the collision of different civilizations, changing lifestyles, and finally in the economic crisis of the end of the first decade of the 21st Century. All of those causes contributed to the emergence of a new shape of the Polish state and Polish society. (Conclusion).

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