Opinion of newly wed Greek couples about the nature and functions of modern family. Similarities and differences with the opinion of Bulgarian couples.

Background: Among the European countries, Greece has exhibited a significant decline in its total fertility rate. Unlike Bulgaria, Greece conducts little in-depth research to study comprehensively the attitudes of newlywed couples toward family planning and reproductive behaviour.

Aim: The present study aimed at exploring the opinion of newly married Greek couples about the nature and functions of modern family and comparing them with those of Bulgarian couples.

Material And Methods: We conducted two parallel cross-sectional studies gathering the primary data by individual questionnaire survey using established methods.

Results: More than half of the respondents planned to have a child within two years after marriage. Most of the respondents think that the main purpose of having children in a family is to give meaning to a person's life. In both Greece and Bulgaria giving birth to a child in a family is believed to be the consequence of merely life-experience related and emotional prerequisites that arise from the deeply rooted traditional attitudes in these countries towards the value and role of family. The prevailing opinion is that children should be raised by the parents in their parents' home until they become three years of age. Greek women are more inclined than Bulgarian women to stay at home and raise their children even until they complete school and are ready to care for them after graduation and marriage.