The social institution of the family in Russia is gradually changing. Families are becoming smaller, with less children. Official marriage is often replaced with nonmarital cohabitation, which in the early twenty‐first century is normative in Russia. The average age at first marriage and birth is rising as more young Russians seek to reach a stable material and social status first. At the same time family ties in Russia are considered to have remained relatively close. Marriage and divorce rates are high while the birth rate is below the replacement level.