The values of children and parenthood: Intergenerational dynamics

Abstract

Based on the comparative research conducted by the author in 2007-2012 in Saint-Petersburg, this article contains analysis of intergenerational and intragenerational differences when it comes to values of parenting and child-bearing between parents and adolescents who rely on different models of parenting. Analyzing the differences revealed that from generation to generation that perception of children which was inherent to traditional parenting culture has reduced, while those trends typical to modern and liberal parenting culture, on the contrary, are increasingly prominent. Intergenerational differences in said values are manifested in a shift of perception among young people when it comes to childbirth as a rational choice and an individual responsibility, as well as in the predominance of attitudes and practices of behavior which is helpful to children caught in difficult situations. The author analyzes intragenerational differences in values associated with choosing a certain cultural model of parenthood, as well as with a specific combination of resources and risks which determine youths' social development. In conclusion, teenagers' parental consciousness is heterogeneous, inconsistent, and combines persisting traditional and modern cultural patterns.