The article examines shift work as a strategy for the socio-economic adaptation of rural residents in the Altai Krai to the set of characteristics of life in the modern village, where, as a rule, high-paying jobs are absent, local production is often lacking, and there are no branches of large enterprises that would allow rural residents to meet their basic needs. The features of shift work as a key strategy for the socio-economic adaptation of rural residents are identified. For many rural inhabitants, the shift work method proves to be the only opportunity to continue their livelihood in a village or small settlement, while many workers engaged in shift work refuse to move to a city because certain personal motives keep them in the village: comfort, silence, absence of hustle, a special way of life, and particular relationships among villagers. Furthermore, shift work serves as a source of livelihood not only for individual rural families but also for the entire structure of rural entrepreneurship, as the social subject will most often spend all earned funds in their place of residence. The methodological framework of this study is represented by a combination of T. Parsons' structural functionalism and the institutional approach. The methodology of the sociological research was based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods; in this case, the qualitative method is represented by expert interviews, while the quantitative method is a survey of the rural population of the Altai Krai, who regularly engage in shift work. The sample consisted of 465 respondents, of whom 450 participated in the survey and 15 were experts. The obtained data allowed for a comprehensive characterization of shift work as a strategy for the socio-economic adaptation of rural residents in the Altai Krai. Further research in this area is important and significant, as the objectively existing transformational socio-economic processes will change the livelihood of modern villages to varying degrees. Consequently, leading adaptation mechanisms may become entirely different determinants and forms, and shift work may yield its positions to other adaptive mechanisms. Moreover, it makes sense to conduct similar studies using the experiences of other regions of the Russian Federation to identify a general set of characteristics of shift work as an adaptation strategy.
Попов et al. (Mon,) studied this question.