View source for Biggest social issue Russia is facing

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'''[[Biggest social issue Russia is facing | Russia is thought to be more affected]]''' <small>(November 2016 - [[template:Russia | Russia]])</small> by alcoholism than other nations with high levels of alcoholism. There is said to be a '''growing “epidemic” of heroin addiction''' just as there is in the USA. '''Domestic violence''' is said to be more serious in Russia than in W. EU and USA and is thought to be related to high levels of alcoholism.

There are many institutions tasked with caring for '''children who cannot be cared for by their parents'''. Russia has not developed a foster care system that can serve the numbers of kids who need care and adoption is not as popular in Russia as it is in the west. This is changing because Russia has had bad experiences with American parents who adopted Russian children from Russian orphanages who were either abused or even sent back because the adoptive parents were unable to deal with their psychological/emotional problems. The Russian gov. is encouraging Russians to adopt and I believe the adoption rate for kids from Russian orphanages by Russian adoptive parents is growing. Social problems in Russia have been seriously exacerbated by the number of Russian orphans who age out of the orphanages. These young adults very often have mental health issues commonly associated with children who have been institutionalized. Kids who have grown up in orphanages have to identify themselves to employers who discriminate against them.

Like the west, Russia’s population is aging as birth rates decrease and '''millions of Russians have immigrated to the west'''. Lower birthrates and immigration have caused Russia’s population to drop as a whole which is unique among developed-world nations. Since Russia neither accepts nor attracts many immigrants compared to the rest of the developed world, aging and retired Russians are struggling with rising prices and less support from social welfare programs.

The collapse of the Soviet Union allowed many powerful Russians to become even more powerful multi-billionaires as most Russian citizens became poorer. The '''Russian “wealth gap” is more severe than the USA’s'''.

Russia has its problems and they seem worse than the USA/west, but Russia may be better able to invest in their nation and citizens than the USA going forward.

[[Category:WHY]]
[[Category:WY-things-happen]]
[[Category:Society]]
[[Category:Russia]]