printRelationships with Fathers as a Factor for Fatherhood Involvement among Young Fathers in Multi- Child Families
Bezrukova O.N.
Cand. Sci. (Sociol.), Acting Head of the Department of youth sociology and youth policy, Saint Petersburg State University. Saint Petersburg, Russia. o.bezrukova@spbu.ru
Samoilova V.А.
Cand. Sci (Psychol.), Assoc. Prof., Saint-Petersburg State University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia v.samojlova@spbu.ru
The article was supported by RSF project No. 23-18-00770.
Bezrukova O.N., Samoilova V.А. Relationships with Fathers as a Factor for Fatherhood Involvement among Young Fathers in Multi- Child Families. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2024. No 11. P. 87-99
The article analyzes the father-son relationships of young men in multi- child Russian families, the nature and mechanisms of its influence on the development of fatherhood involvement, the significance of involved fatherhood as a factor for potential multi- child parenting. We identified and researched the differences between the young men groups experiencing communicative, rejecting and compensating relationships with their fathers. We found out that among the communicative type their own fathers act as examples of masculine behavior, thereby helping the young man to become a father, to realize self-actualization in fatherhood, and to identify himself as a man of family. We developed the following metrics of father’s experience in these families: affective, moral and ethical, axiological, instrumental, including training and development, gender- related (distribution of family duties and contribution to family provision), communicative, father’s availability degree, contribution to the development of male character. We found out that among the rejecting, the experience of disharmonious relationships and a lack of interaction with the father lead to difficulties in acquiring one’s own paternity. The compensating type strives to fill the deficits of fatherhood, to be more involved and available to their children. We identified the ways of influence on fatherhood involvement development in young men such as identification with the father, transfer and continuity, reflection, awareness, rejection of negative practices of fatherhood, processing of negative experiences, rejection of paternal identity and identification with the “new” father, compensation for paternity deficits. We conclud that involved fatherhood is an important factor in multi- child parenting in young families. The development of involved fatherhood is accompanied by experiencing of a man’s personal agency of father’s role, promotes awareness of the high importance of family and children, introduces him to the ideology of procreation, continuity of life, and promotes the desire to have many children. We identified two major ways of developing involved fatherhood: through continuity and transfer or reflection and revaluation of the experience of relationships with one’s fathers, as well as interaction with other people, the transfer of positive experiences in family, kinship or friendship relationships, online communities and training programs for fathers.
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