In this scientific article based on student youth’s parental practice research the relation of young men to early paternity is revealed, and the reasons of non-desire of early marriage and a parenthood are also defined. Ideas of the men’s role in a family stay very conservative. Despite the increase women’s influence in formation of the family budget, most of young men consider that they are have to be responsible for the maintenance of material welfare of the family. In the article, the modern situation of the transformed institute of a family is described. The reasons and prerequisites of formation of new type of a family of industrial society are considered.
Paternity phenomenon is the low-studied area, as well as in Post-Soviet sociology, and in world practice. The interest in learning the practice of paternity is increasing lately. This is due to the facts of insignificance and poverty of father’s contacts with children in comparison with mother’s, the growth of incomplete families, the increase of divorces, which is often leads to the growth of fatherlessness, the legitimation of the increasing women’s independence and the increasing number of single mothers.
The role of a father in the course of parenting is not so widely recognized now. The received opinion that motherhood is one of the most important forms of a female image, and social and psychological characteristics of a maternal role are outlined much more accurately, than fatherly, appropriating it bigger value. Nevertheless, paternity is also one of important gender roles who is often underestimated. Therefore, the interest causes the influence of existence and absence of the father on child’s personal development in the period of his childhood. The question of willingness of young men for paternity is important. The relation of this role is formed since childhood therefore it will be expedient to know the students’ idea about paternity, because for most of young men the birth of the child symbolizes the transition from one stage of life cycle to another which is characterized by the beginning of a maturity.
Within this article, research of willingness for paternity was conducted in the period of an early maturity. We asked students of arts school and experimental faculties of the Karaganda State University named after the academician E.A.Buketov.
At selection of 30 respondents were controlled such parameters as sex, age (from 17 to 22 years), family type (a full family) and presence of children at the time of carrying out research were considered (any of respondents wasn't a father).
Evolution and modernizations of society led to transformation of institute of marriage and a family: the standard and valuable base of relationship of women and men, adults and children changes, moral and ethical and legal norms are reconsidered, stereotypes and a ban are loosened. So in stereotypic representations of the last traditional model, the role of the father in a patriarchal family was associated with a role of the supporter, the power, the direct mentor of the children. In a modern family such traditional values of paternity is weakening, because of female’s equality is not only in parental practices, but also in the field of professional activity. Functions of parents in a family stopped being gender — marked, including a wide range of the behavioral samples connected with personal preferences. One of many proofs to this is that gradually young woman becomes more active, takes maximized positions in the society of new generation with such conditions as the growing independence and emancipation of women that conducts to implementation of transition to nuclear model of family with two working parents. Thus, today the situation in the field of parental institute is characterized by woman’s leaving from usual role of mother, and a priority of realization for it itself as persons with all conditions of a freedom of choice of the living position leading to the less position of men. As a result, today traditional division of fatherly and maternal functions is not an absolute biological imperative.
As N.V.Zvereva's researches showed, in modern society system of valuable orientations and a place in it connected with a family and a parenthood are characterized by claims concerning higher vital standards and models of consumption [1; 5]. Such valuable changes in the sphere of family happened in the context of economic, social and political transformational processes, affect youth. As a result of considerable changes of social institutes is not only motherhood, the childhood, but also paternity. They are characterized also by such problem as lack of willingness of young people for paternity in connection with economic, social, physiological, psychological and moral factors, caused by many aspects with the components, which became hypotheses consequences of our research:
First, the readiness for paternity of the modern young men who are getting higher education, is connected with the general vector of decrease in a reproduction and gradual transition to model of own success. Receiving the higher education of end will give successful employment, stable social roles and achievement of certain social statuses in the subsequent young man;
Secondly, a priority factor of unavailability of young men to paternity is lack of stable financial position, means of livelihood, normal domestic conditions, etc. that leads to narrowing of vital interests to the consumer;
Thirdly, the desire to have the child at future fathers is caused by existence of feelings to the child's mother;
Fourthly, achievement of age of a social maturity as integrative characteristic of the personality is the central direction of development in the period of an early maturity and important criterion of readiness for a capture of responsibility for the child;
Fifthly, because of transition to new models of development of society, there are withdrawal pains of the traditional, patriarchal foundations, roles, representations and stereotypes influencing readiness for paternity.
For the purpose of confirmation of the main research hypotheses, biographical questions were developed by the special certain blocks helping with development both systematization of the analysis of value judgment of readiness for paternity of young men, students of university, and allocation of the factors influencing formation of readiness for paternity:
- Own relation to acceptance of responsibility to become the young father;
- Valuable orientations and necessary conditions for the child's birth eyes of respondents;
- Stereotypic ideas of gender distribution of a role of the father;
- The relation of respondents to the birth of the child in the studied age
One of research problems was clarification of a self-assessment of readiness of students for early paternity. So by results of questioning ready to performance of a role of the father currently called themselves only 13,3 % of respondents from total number of respondents. 46,7 % of young men aren't ready to a role of the father now, but are ready to have children in the future. 33,3 % of students for a question of readiness for paternity answered «isn't ready at all», and 6,7 % found it difficult to answer (diagram 1).
D i a g r a m 1
Self-assessment of young men’s willingness for paternity (in % to the received answers)
The small percent of the young people ready to a responsible role of the father in relation to bigger number of the respondents who are still not planning to be fathers is explained by features new sociocultural modernization of the private and family sphere. In a modern family there is a decrease in a role of a parental family as model of role behavior. In the field of paternity lack of public education of youth as future parents in spite of the fact that in a full family of the young man have more realistic image of future father is observed. But nevertheless, the percent of the young men focused on paternity in the future is great. As far as there will be productive future paternity from each respondent, with all the inclusiveness, an emotional involvement of the father into life and development of the child is already a matter of time. It was for a start necessary to carry out the analysis of estimated age of achievement the maturity, in which the young man is ready to take responsibility for the child's birth. That is the central question for the further analysis of the integrative characteristic of the young fathers and factors influencing implementation of vital prospects the acquired universal values in respect of paternity in the period of an early maturity.
On a question: «At what age do you plan to bring the first child?», results were distributed as follows: 20–24; years-30 %; 25–30 years-66,7 %; 30–35 years-3,3 % and 18–20 years-0 %. From the obtained data of sociological research, the low level of psychological readiness of young men for unplanned paternity in the period of an early maturity, which is defined by negative degree of formation of components of system of the relations of future parent to institute of paternity, is observed. At the same time, the situation is explained by change of model of birth rate in youth cohorts, which is more and more displaced to the senior age groups. So, and the data of sociological researches of scientific research institute of complex social followings of St.Petersburg State University which are carried out in recent years show that creation of a family and the birth of children aren't among the priority purposes of youth for the next years [2; 51].
Today the institute of a family and the childhood in which a parenthood and children act as values, are doomed to serve as potential «hindrance» in life of the young man in finding of a personal liberty and success, an individualization of vital plans and strategy, competing with such modern values as social, material, economic, etc. Marriage and the birth of children, as shown in T.G.Pospelova's researches, young people most often connect with finding of economic independence and achievement of the professional status, completion of education that, in general, characterizes more responsible attitude of young men and women towards reproductive behavior [3; 158].
For confirmation of one of hypotheses in the special block of questions, it was offered to respondents to choose three most significant options from eight offered, and in case of disagreement with them, to specify the option of necessary conditions for the child's birth. Analyzing answers of students, it was found out that for the most part of respondents (73,3 %) a necessary condition for the birth of the child is achievement of material stability. More than a half of young people (63,3 %) called completion of education and 60 % of answers were banished on achievement of age of a social maturity. 33,3 % of respondents specified existence of good domestic conditions for the birth of children in the subsequent. For 36,7 % of young men an important condition for the birth of the child is an obligatory registration of marriage. Obligatory presence of both parents is important for 16,7 % of young men. The number of respondents for whom an indispensable condition for the birth of the child is existence of support from the close relatives, successful experience of the child parental relations and skills of education in ability to raise children makes on 6,7 % of total number of the interrogated respondents (diagram 2).
D i a g r a m 2
Valuable orientations and necessary conditions for the child's birth by the eyes of respondents (in % to the received answers)
As the analysis of answers to a question showed, the child's birth now of life for young people is more connected with necessary achievement of a certain achievements in the material sphere, obligatory completion of education and achievement of a social maturity. This once again proves opportunity to plan the birth of children only in the near future of the respondent. It is important to note also that rather small percent in vision of an ideal condition for readiness for paternity makes presence of both parents and an obligatory marriage between the child's parents that is forced out interrogated on minor value.
The proof of above-mentioned conclusions on redistribution of roles was fixed in a modern family by the data obtained during results of respondents on a question of family functions and duties of parents, distributed as follows. The main children’s care are maternal duties (26,7 %), equal obligations of both parents for care of the child in a family — 66,7 %, the main cares on children’s nurturing are duties of the father (6,7 %), the main children’s nurturing is a duty of the close relatives (0 %); (diagram 3).
Family functions and duties of parents (in % to the received answers)
Thus, as respondents consider the priority role in implementation of care of children and in their education in the course of primary socialization of the child by mother is gradually washed away: the man in a family carries out not less significant parental functions in education of the child and in care of it on an equal basis with mother.
In research, also there was an attempt is how necessary to find out a role of the father in a modern family and what its influence on formations of the identity of the child, in particular — in her primary socialization, and also what harmful consequences to which isolation of the child from the father brings in educational practices. Stereotypic ideas of gender distribution of father’s role and his influence to young men are presented to the child's lives by the following results. The role of the father represents a behavior example, a source of confidence and authority-66,7 %; the duty of the father consists in providing a family with economic welfare and in a social status of members of the family-83,3 %; the birth of the child brings additional material cares, expenses on a family will increase several times-73,3 %. According to respondents, the child growing without father is not disciplined, asocial, aggressive concerning adults and children-40 %; the birth of the child will lead to loss of interest of mother in the father, all attention of mother will be concentrated on future child-10 %; the less child is attached to the father, the self-assessment of the child is lower than 6,7 %. Fathers don't carry out direct care both of newborns, and of children in the whole-13,3 %; children are emotionally closer to mother, than to the father-6,7 of %.
Despite change of the traditional stereotypes connected with paternity, transformation of valuable system of men is conservative in the family sphere in respect of stereotypic representation in implementation of a role of «supporter» or «getter», despite of existing «equality» of the husband and wife in responsibility for parenting and primary socialization. However, it is necessary to consider the fact that in a modern family there is a set of belief of young men that they are responsible for the maintenance of financial position of a family. The woman in case of the circumstances compelled by force when the man is not able to provide a family and to bear for it responsibility, has the right to support completely and undividedly the children. Such shift of fatherly and maternal roles owing to various situations, leads to cancellation of the matrimonial unions at which children in most cases remain with mother. But actually, as consider most of researchers in
the field of gender psychology and is confirmed by results of questioning, participation of the father in education of the child can't be overestimated, it is necessary for formation of the full-fledged personality. Harmonious development of the child requires effort from fathers that being closer to the child, in common to endure and learn the world, since infancy. Therefore in order to avoid crisis of paternity it is necessary to create social conditions for manifestation of male activity out of a family that the man bore the main legal responsibility for a family and protects its interests, could provide her economic welfare and a social status of members, at preservation for mother and for children of other family duties.
Of course, the parenthood is the question demanding a conscious and responsible step to lives of each young man. However in case of a situation of unplanned paternity where the choice is necessary reproductive, there is also a problem which is today behind the sign «problem of modern paternity».
Procedure of approbation of the special block in a questionnaire «The relation of respondents to the birth» is necessary for the child in the studied age category for clarification of the general assessment of the relation to unplanned paternity and to lack of fatherly education.
Answers of respondents concerning the birth of the child or to interruption of pregnancy in a projective situation were distributed as follows. A big half of the interrogated students (63,3 %) anyway would insist on the child's birth, having taken the responsibility, declaring full support of mother of the child. But only 13,3 % officially would issue the paternity, having entered the registered marriage. 3,4 % of young people would stop the relations, having interrupted pregnancy since are at the moment not ready to take responsibility for the child, other participants of research in number of 20 % of total number interrogated couldn't answer so definitely (diagram 4).
D i a g r a m 4
The relation of respondents to the child’s birth and interruption of pregnancy in a projective situation (in % to the received answers)
From the received results, we observe that more numerous group of young men, are guided after all by traditional continuity of biological paternity, but without social obligations. Just 13,3 % of young men, after emergence of pregnancy would issue it as «lawful» marriage. But such marriages can be considered stimulated as the forthcoming birth of the child, with a high probability of that such union will break up. The choice for birth rate out of official marriage which leads to growth of the free unions and other forms of joint life, increase in illegitimate births and stains is by results observed. The problem caused first of all by dynamics of divorces leads to increase in number of lonely mothers as in nearly 100 % cases, the children born out of marriage live with their mothers, thereby dynamics is traced also growth of fatherlessness in modern society. The last problem concerns the most serious social manifestations of a lack of fatherly attention to education of the child. Participation of the father in a family is necessary for normal primary socialization of children as, a number of modern social problems, for example tendency to deviant behavior, are connected by it.
The psychologist Henri Biller, investigating destinies of the boys who didn't receive fatherly education notes their uncertainty in himself, difficulties in determination of moral values, high probability of suicide behavior, drug addiction and offenses [4]. We decided to confirm conclusions of researchers with results of sociological researches in the USA:
- 63 % of all teenage suicide are made by the children growing without fathers;
- 90 % of all homeless children and the children who are regularly making escapes from the house — from families without father;
- 85 % of children with characteristic antisocial behavior grow in families without father;
- 71 % of the children throwing school grow in families without father;
- 70 % of the children getting to the state specialized institutions grew up in families without fathers;
- 85 % of all teenagers who are in prisons grew in a family without father [4].
Results of the analysis of readiness of young men for paternity proved that the phenomenon of paternity is the integrated area summarizing individual and personal characteristics, political, social, and economic factors.
Thus, unavailability of young men to paternity achievement of economic independence, achievement of age of a social maturity, existence of a complex of psychological qualities of the personality (responsibility, care) and others is mediated by such factors, conditions and prerequisites as completion of education, existence of a profession, the social status, aspiration to self-realization. Also by the birth of the child it is possible to carry to factors of formation of responsibility also factors, such as a stable social and economic situation in the country, predictability and stability of financial career. Therefore problems of a modern parenthood have to become central in consideration of relationship of a family, society and state.
Conditions of quality improvement of readiness for paternity are necessity of family parenting and installations on the birth of children in a family. Formation of democratic ideas of a role of the man in a family, development of the sensual and emotional sphere of the personality, parenting in a full family, training in labor skills and bases of vocational training, development of social skills and abilities act (effective communication, tolerance in communication, on settlement of the conflicts and harmonization of the matrimonial and child parental relations). Formation of socially competent identity of young men.
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