Delegates of the III Bashkir Kurultay have discussed the demographic development of Bashkir nation

The delegates of the III Bashkir Kurultay have discussed preparations for the all-Russian population census-2010 and the problems of Bashkir nation's demographic situation today. They've analyzed the demographic development of Bashkir nation both fr om the point of view of historical chronology and at the present stage, focusing on the problems, which solution might positively influence upon the local demographic processes.

According to the materials of the all-Russian population census-2002 73% (1221302) of Bashkirs live on the territory RB. Many Bashkirs live beyond Bashkortostan. A part of them still preserve rather high level of the ethnic self-consciousness, like in Orenburg region, others are more prone to assimilation, lingual first of all. In 80s last century the migration of Bashkirs to the oil-bearing regions of Siberia and to the big cities of European Russia was intensified and there they formed rather large ethnic groups (the matter is Tyumen region first of all, wh ere about 40 thousand Bashkirs live). There are big ethnic Bashkir communities abroad too and first of all in Kazakhstan (the most numerous diaspora) and in the republics of the Middle Asia (in 90s Bashkirs started to come back to their historical motherland from there).

At present time the demographic development of Bashkir ethnos is in many respects determined by urbanization and its derivative processes: changes in the ratio of the sexes, liability to the assimilation processes, the tendency to reduction of the number of kids in Bashkir families etc. These processes are running in the conditions of still rather high death rate and low life duration. From the other side the share of rural Bashkirs is still rather high (according to the population census-2002 57,6%) and since the level of social-economic development in the country remains rather low, the migration of Bashkir youth to the cities is going on. In opinion of the head of one of the Bashkir rural settlements Saria Ziganshina in order to solve the problem of the natality it is necessary to raise the monthly child allowances. It will stimulate the birth rate because the incomes of many agrarians directly depend on their private auxiliary farmings and thus have the seasonal character, so children often don't go to the kindergartens because of the absence of means for payment for the kindergarten services.

The resolution, consisting of the recommendations, aimed at the improvement with the demography of the Bashkir nation, has become the outcome of the discussion. The delegates believe it is necessary to support the families with many kids further, develop the national kinds of sport and strengthen local health protection system. In order to raise the educational and cultural level of Bashkirs it is necessary to intensify the economic and cultural contacts with the compatriots from historical Bashkortostan and to develop national cultural institutions.