Suchergebnisse

Book review: Nullindate kultuur: Teise laine tulemine (Culture of the Early 2000s I: The Coming of the Second Wave) and Nullindate kultuur: Põlvkondlikud pihtimused (Culture of the Early 2000s II: Generational Testimonies) by
Aili Aarelaid-Tart & Anu Kannike (eds.), 2012, Tartu: Tartu University Press.

Estonia is a society characterised by persistence of traditional gender role attitudes. Accordingly, taking care of children is considered to be mainly mother's task and children's living arrangements following divorce are usually solved in the most traditional way - children stay with their mother. Based on qualitative interviews with divorced mothers the study focused on the attitudes of mothers towards fathers' involvement in parenting following divorce. It was possible to differentiate between three post-divorce parenting patterns: (1) cooperative parenting with nonresident father involved with his children, (2) distant parenting characterized by loose contacts between children and nonresident father, and (3) sole parenting without any paternal involvement or financial support. The interviewees basically agreed that shared parental responsibilities would be the ideal form of post-divorce parenting but in practice their expectations concerning father's involvement were rather modest. The interviewees mostly approved prevailing in Estonia normative gendered parental role obligations with mother as the primary parent who had to take main responsibility for children both in the marriage as well as in the post-divorce period.

This article explores the changes in Estonian parents' subjective feelings about the sufficiency of time they spend with their children and the factors related to their assessments. The study uses data from the population surveys Work, Family and Leisure (WFL) conducted in Estonia over five-year intervals, from 1993-2008. Using the historical change hypothesis, we identify how the changes in Estonian society that have taken place since Estonia re-established its independence have led to changes in parents' feelings about the time they devote to their children. We also examine how in different historical periods fathers' and mothers' satisfaction with the time spent with their children is related to their employment status, educationlevel, andfamily - based characteristics. The findings of the study draw attention to the need for further research on the subject of parental time with children.

"This article examines trends in the labour market position, defined in terms of three dimensions - earnings, perceived job security and overall job satisfaction - among four population groups in Estonia - Estonian men and women and Russian-speaking men and women. We explore how the labour market position of these groups changed between 1993 and 2008. We used data from 1993 and 2008, collected in the population survey Work, Family and Leisure, designed by the Institute of International and Social Studies at Tallinn University. We carried out a two-step analysis: first, we conducted descriptive analysis to explore changes in the labour market situation of men and women of two ethnic groups in the period of 1993-2008; and second, we used models of multivariate analysis of variances to examine how gender, ethnicity and occupational status as well as the intersection of these variables are related to earnings, job security and job satisfaction. We found that Estonian men have emerged as the most successful group in the labour market, while the labour market position of Russian-speaking women is the most disadvantaged compared to other groups in terms of earnings, job security and job satisfaction. We suggest that these labour market inequalities could be increasing, and that the interaction of gender and ethnicity might become increasingly important in shaping labour market outcomes." (author's abstract)

Abstract. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether the combination of paid employment and taking care of children promotes or challenges the life satisfaction of married and divorced men and women in the UK, Estonia, and Finland. The UK sample stems from the National Child Development Study, at age 42 (N = 10280; 48% of men, 52% of women). The Estonian data come from a representative sample of 1164 participants (507 men, 657 women; mean age 42). The Finnish data stems from an ongoing longitudinal study on 1390 participants (447 men and 943 women; mean age = 41). The results showed that in all three countries women report higher levels of life satisfaction than men, couples are generally more satisfied than divorcees, and those who are employed are generally more satisfied with their lives than those who are not. Second, for men in general as well as for divorced women higher levels of life satisfaction appear to be associated with full-time work. Third, men and women pursuing a professional career are more satisfied with their lives than men and women in unskilled jobs. Finally, having a child shows no significant association with life satisfaction in any of our three countries, although there were significant interactions between gender, marital status, employment, and parenthood. Divorced women in all three countries appear to be more satisfied with their lives if they do not have children, especially after adjusting life satisfaction by occupational status. Findings are discussed with regard to role stress and role accumulation theories.

Spotlights on Contemporary Family Life covers four issues of cross-cutting importance to families Structures and forms of families: issues relating to a diversification of families away from the 'traditional nuclear family form' are relatively uncontroversial from an academic perspective, but much more so for policy makers and family associations. Chapter 1 provides a thorough overview of the state of contemporary European families. Solidarities in families: too often the issue of an 'ageing society' is simply reduced to the problem of over-burdening social care systems, but longevity also represents opportunities for new kinds of solidarities inside families and family networks, and new relations between family members – not to mention the satisfaction felt by people who can continue to live fulfilling and rewarding lives long after they're considered 'elderly'. Chapter 2 gives voice to authors who identify these new opportunities and challenges. Demographic change: women are having fewer children and having them later in life. Having children is now a conscious decision and fertility rates have declined below the level required to sustain our current populations. At the same time we witness the 'greying' of Europe, which brings with it a whole host of opportunities and challenges. Chapter 3 raises important issues for policy makers today. Volunteering: inspired by family associations who could not survive without the support of volunteers, this chapter gives an overview of what's known - and what isn't - about volunteering. Coinciding with the European Year of Volunteering 2011, this chapter takes a timely look at the efforts that families put into volunteering across Europe and the important benefits that Europe gains from all of this combined voluntary effort. Linden Farrer and William Lay work for the Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union (COFACE). This publication was produced by FAMILYPLATFORM, a project funded by the European Commission.

Spotlights on Contemporary Family Life covers four issues of cross-cutting importance to families Structures and forms of families: issues relating to a diversification of families away from the 'traditional nuclear family form' are relatively uncontroversial from an academic perspective, but much more so for policy makers and family associations. Chapter 1 provides a thorough overview of the state of contemporary European families. Solidarities in families: too often the issue of an 'ageing society' is simply reduced to the problem of over-burdening social care systems, but longevity also represents opportunities for new kinds of solidarities inside families and family networks, and new relations between family members – not to mention the satisfaction felt by people who can continue to live fulfilling and rewarding lives long after they're considered 'elderly'. Chapter 2 gives voice to authors who identify these new opportunities and challenges. Demographic change: women are having fewer children and having them later in life. Having children is now a conscious decision and fertility rates have declined below the level required to sustain our current populations. At the same time we witness the 'greying' of Europe, which brings with it a whole host of opportunities and challenges. Chapter 3 raises important issues for policy makers today. Volunteering: inspired by family associations who could not survive without the support of volunteers, this chapter gives an overview of what's known - and what isn't - about volunteering. Coinciding with the European Year of Volunteering 2011, this chapter takes a timely look at the efforts that families put into volunteering across Europe and the important benefits that Europe gains from all of this combined voluntary effort. Linden Farrer and William Lay work for the Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union (COFACE). This publication was produced by FAMILYPLATFORM, a project funded by the European Commission.