3 Wider family
Ukraine info: family networks in Ukraine
Figure 11
Extended family ties are greatly valued in Ukraine. The average family has one or two children. Because of the high cost of housing, most young people live with their parents. A lot of young people prefer to study in universities in the cities they come from and continue living with their parents, which helps to save on rent. Quite often they live with their parents after graduation.
Older people are treated with love and respect. Many elderly parents live with their adult children, and often help with childcare. When grandparents live in the country and adult children live in the city, the grandchildren may live with the grandparents for several weeks during the summer. Adult children care for aging parents when it becomes necessary.