Azerbaijan to establish family psychology institution

/By AzerNews/

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan plans to establish a family psychology institution which is expected to play an integral role in strengthening family institutions, maintaining reproductive health of the nation, preventing domestic violence and increasing parental responsibility.

Establishment of the institution is part of a new project called "Strategy of Azerbaijani family" developed by the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs in the framework of the concept "Azerbaijan 2020: Look into the Future."

Today about two million families live in Azerbaijan. Every year approximately 80,000 young people marry to form a family.

“Azerbaijani families have always distinguished themselves from other families in terms of their durability," said Chairman of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs Hijran Huseynova during a recent conference titled "National Spiritual Family values: tradition and modernity."

“The reason behind the trend is that Azerbaijanis preserve their national and spiritual values, customs and traditions. However they also match it with the modern life,” Huseynova said. “Azerbaijani family is one of the best family model around the world.”

She emphasized that strengthening the family institution is a standing issue worldwide.

Women make up 51 percent of Azerbaijan's population that is partially why women have a great influence on society, said Chairman of Azerbaijan’s State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations Mubariz Gurbanli.

MP Fattah Heydarov believes that media plays a big role in the promotion of strong and healthy families.

Heydarov noted that to this end it is necessary to implement some serious educational work in Azerbaijan. “Some TV shows broadcast the life of collapsed families which badly affect the society,” he said.

He claimed that every Azerbaijanis, especially the older generation, must follow the situation in the country. They should deal with those who intend to denigrate society and destroy its foundations.

As young people constitute the majority of Azerbaijani society, it is important to educate them in the right way.

“A family is a foundation of the society. It’s a small state, which has its own economy and policy. If a family is strong, then a government will be too,” he underlined.

The principal values that are common in Azerbaijan are family values. However some feel that the traditional family nucleus is threatened by changes in society amid the globalization and the transformation of native traditional values.

A survey titled “Students views of family and marriage problems” held among students in Azerbaijan in 2012, showed the optimal range age of marriage among Azerbaijanis.

The survey conducted on 282 people, including 83 men and 199 women, stated that about 70 percent of respondents consider the age of marriage for women, to be between 22, and 25. More than seven percent voted for the age of 26-30, while almost 15 percent said the ideal age to get married is 18-21.

What about the age of marriage for men? 67 percent of students believed that 24-27 is appropriate to start a family life. As much as 19 percent thought that, there is no need to rush, and the age from 28 and older is the most ideal.

But what was the basis of a good marriage for these students. Some 71 percent of them considered “love” as an integral part of marriage. Material component and spiritual unity were taken into consideration by 43-48 percent of respondents, while 35 percent recognized psychological compatibility as the main factor.