This dissertation analyzes how the socio-economic transformations in Bulgaria and Russia at the end of the 20th century influence the patterns of first union formation. It is an elaboration on the identification of marriage and family in the era of Socialism and on the emergence of non-marital cohabitation and its development between 1970 and 2004. In addition, the study investigates how the combination of family policy measures, economic conditions, and cultural norms affect the individual family formation behavior in the two countries
