Vasileva E.N., Ljubicic R.M. (2026). Methodological approaches to the substantiation of research on abortion practices in modern society. Social area, 12(2). DOI: 10.15838 ...

Текст статьи на сайте журнала URL: http://sa.volnc.ru/article/30643 (дата обращения 21.07.2026)

Abstract

The article examines methodological approaches to the study of abortion practices and reproductive behavior, as well as the sociological research instruments used to refine statistical data on pregnancy termination. Special attention is paid to the theoretical justification of the sociological measurement of women's motives, value orientations, and social determinants of abortion practices. The outcome of this work is a systematization of sociological approaches to the study of abortion practices, including the investigation of the motivation behind reproductive choice, the assessment of subjective well-being, and the influence of the institutional environment and value orientations on reproductive behavior and abortion practices. The study identifies the conditions and factors affecting reproductive behavior that lead to abortion practices (e.g., birth order, material circumstances, religiosity, among others). It is revealed that income stability and housing security can have multidirectional effects on the family's reproductive cycle. Unstable income can both impede childbearing and, in cases where social support networks or state benefits compensate for economic instability, exert no direct influence. The study of value orientations, including individual religious beliefs and public discourses on the acceptability of abortion practices, allows for the characterization of the cultural norms that shape reproductive choice. Health assessments serve as the basis for differentiating between abortions performed for medical indications and those motivated by socio-economic reasons. The practical significance of the work lies in the fact that the obtained results will be used to develop a research instrument for the study of abortion practices among Serbian women. Prospects for further development of the work include identifying, through a mass survey, the conditions and factors underlying the abortion practices of Serbian women, as well as assessing the intensity of abortion practices within the structure of reproductive behavior. This will enable the characterization of women's decision-making strategies regarding pregnancy termination or continuation in the context of contemporary demographic processes.