Dynamics of social polarization in the Russian society in conditions of economic instability

The article is dedicated to the problem of social polarization in Russia today. Its main criterion and catalyst is a hypertrophied differentiation of incomes. The paper presents a comparative analysis of social stratification degree by this indicator in different countries. The author considers the social polarization both as a phenomenon and as a process which increases during the periods of the national economy crisis. Although this problem is of social and public significance, both the government and the scientific community have neglected it. Consequently, it may be fraught with destructive consequences. The authors discuss reasons and negative effects of the social polarization, especially in Russia. Emphasizing a need for interdisciplinary researches of the problem, the authors attempt to study the genesis of the social polarization as a process in the Russian society, based on official statistics and results of sociological researches. The paper analyzes the relationship of "growth points" of social stratification with economic crises. The authors suggest that they have a catalytic effect on the degree of social stratification. Available data suggest that transformation of the social structure, determined by dichotomies of the economic development in the country, show a stable regularity. In times of economic crises, social stratification is intensified mainly at the expense of reducing the share of the middle class. Consequently, the representatives of the middle class slowly become representatives of the poor class.