FAMILY TRENDS AND CHANGING PARENTING PRACTICES IN ESTONIA

Written by Dagmar KUTSAR, Kairi KASEARU, Triin KURRIKOFF on 30 June 2012. Posted in Special issue: Individual Development And Family Relations In Eastern Europe, Guest Editors: Mihaela FRIEDLMEIER, Wolfgang FRIEDLMEIER, Volume XVI, Nr. 2

ABSTRACT

In recent decades the Estonian society, similar to other post-communist countries, has faced rapid changes in the economic, political and social sphere. In this article, we describe family trends and explore whether these changes at the societal and family institutional level will be visible in family life, especially in the perception of young adults, by comparing data from 1972 and 2007. Descriptive analyses show that despite the wide changes in the family structure (i.e., marriage has been replaced by unmarried cohabitation, high numbers of divorce and separations), the family of origin remains an important role model for the new generation, especially in the case of two-parent family. Results indicate that the childâs position in the family has become more relevant and parenting practices are more child-oriented in the early 2000s than in the 1970s.

KEYWORDS: Estonia, societal change, family trends, parenting

PAGES:171-190