ABSTRACT
In a risk society, spontaneous factors or uncontrollable processes assume particular significance according to either the social situation or the degree of uncertainty which individuals face on a daily basis. In Russia, there is an extremely unfavorable demographic situation and this is one of the most acute difficulties facing Russian youth. Russia's demographic decline has coincided with a new systemic crisis which has accelerated since 1992. Russia's constant de-population is strong evidence of the escalation of risk in Russian society. Young people's life start situation can be considered as their initial potential in terms of social reproduction. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports show that youth integration in the 1970s when there was optimism about youth labour market prospects was easier. The relationship between study and work, on the one hand, and work and society, on the other, is also rapidly changing.
