The Privatization of the Personal? II: Attitudes to the Family and Child-Rearing Values in Modern-Day Russia

Abstract

The recent and dramatic political and social events in the former Soviet Union have focused interest on the interpersonal lives of the Russian peoples. The two studies reported in this article use the cultural theory of Mary Douglas to examine belief in the family and child-rearing values amongst 792 manual workers, entrepreneurs and students. Analysis at an individual level revealed that individualism and a belief in rules were both negatively related to family commitment. Analysis at an occupational level produced marked, independent occupational effects for child-rearing values, with students and entrepreneurs promoting independence and education as important, whilst manual workers promoted a broader concern for `humanity'. Women were also more family oriented than their male counterparts. The implications of these findings for the future development of the family in Russia are discussed.

Keywords

child-rearing family Russia

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Alexandrova, E. (1984) `Why Soviet Women Want to Get Married', in T. Mamonova (ed.) Women and Russia: Feminist Writings from the Soviet Union. Oxford: Blackwell.

Dake, K. (1991) `Orienting Dispositions in the Perception of Risk: An Analysis of Contemporary Worldviews and Cultural Biases', Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology 22: 61-82.

Douglas, M. (1982) `Introduction to Grid/Group Analysis', in M. Douglas (ed.) Essays in the Sociology of Perception, pp. 1-8. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Goodwin, R. (1995) `The Privatization of the Personal? I: Intimate Disclosure in Modern-day Russia', Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 12(1): 121-131.

Grushin, B. (1992) `Russian Social Surveys', paper presented at the Kennan Institute, Washington, USA, October.

Hampton, J. (1982) `Giving the Grid/Group Dimensions an Operational Definition', in M. Douglas (ed.) Essays in the Sociology of Perception. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Hennon, C. (1978) Self-conception and Desired Family Organisation in Finland and Iran', Journal of Comparative Family Studies 9: 191-210.

Jodelet, D. (1991) Madness and Social Representations. Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf.

Kagitcibasci, C. (1990) `Family and Socialization in Cross-cultural Perspective: A Model of Change', in J. Berman (ed.) Cross-cultural Perspectives: The Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 1989. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

10.

Klein, R. & Milardo, R. (1993) `Third-party Influence on the Management of Personal Relationships', in S.W. Duck (ed.) Social Context and Relationships. Understanding Relationship Processes 3. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

11.

Mars, G. (1982) Cheats at Work: An Anthology of the Workplace. London: Allen & Unwin.

12.

Popenoe, D. (1988) Disturbing the Nest: Family Change and Decline in Modern Societies. New York: de Gruyter.

13.

Rosenthal, D. , Bell, R. , Demetrioux, A. & Eflikes, A. (1989) `From Collectivism to Individualism? The Acculturation of Greek Immigrants in Australia', International Journal of Psychology 24: 57-71.

14.

Shlapentokh, V. (1984) Love, Marriage, and Friendship in the Soviet Union: Ideals and Practices. New York: Praeger.

15.

Smith, H. (1990) The New Russians. London: Hutchinson.

16.

Swindler, A. (1986) `Culture in Action: Symbols and Strategies', American Sociological Review. 51: 278-286.

17.

Triandis, H. (1990) `Individualism and Collectivism Manual', unpublished ms., Department of Psychology, University of Illinois.