In Search of Balance: Family Care and Professional Employment of Women During Parental Leave
Introduction. In previous decades, parental leave was traditionally perceived as a period with a clear functional load that does not go beyond family care. While modern women in this period are trying to combine family care and professional employment. The purpose of the paper is to study the practi...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Russian |
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National Research Mordovia State University
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Регионология |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://regionsar.ru/en/node/2193 |
| _version_ | 1797373932451397632 |
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| author | Katerina V. Fofanova Valeria S. Dorogaykina |
| author_facet | Katerina V. Fofanova Valeria S. Dorogaykina |
| author_sort | Katerina V. Fofanova |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction. In previous decades, parental leave was traditionally perceived as a period with a clear functional load that does not go beyond family care. While modern women in this period are trying to combine family care and professional employment. The purpose of the paper is to study the practices of combining family care and professional employment during the period of parental leave for up to three years.
Materials and Methods. The methodological basis of the study has consisted of: a gender approach explaining the reasons for the imbalance of social roles performed by a woman during parental leave; a socio-cultural approach describing gender relations as a cultural and symbolic construct and allowing to understand the process of constructing models of behavior of women during parental leave; an institutional approach that allows to highlight the action of norms and functions, regulating the period of parental leave. The article is based on empirical data obtained in the period 2019‒2022 among women of the Republic of Mordovia. The study was based on a qualitative and quantitative strategy: the method of semi-formalized interviews and a questionnaire survey conducted in 2022 were used.
Results. The article has shown that the time of parental leave is perceived by women not only as an opportunity to fulfill the maternal role, but also as a resource for professional self-realization. The paper substantiates the need for a new understanding of the meaning of parental leave, significantly expands the understanding of this period in the life of a woman and a family as a whole.
Discussion and Conclusion. As a result of the study, various options for combining child care and professional employment were identified, groups of women demonstrating different models of “immersion in motherhood” were identified, conditions were determined that allow a woman to combine child care with professional activity. The article shows that the time of parental leave is perceived by women not only as an opportunity to fulfill the maternal role, but also as a resource for professional self-realization. The article substantiates the need for a new understanding of the meaning of parental leave, significantly expands the understanding of this period in the life of a woman and a family as a whole. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T18:58:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1eaf37f64ff54d45a21e2682a04fcc6f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2413-1407 2587-8549 |
| language | Russian |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T18:58:37Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | National Research Mordovia State University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Регионология |
| spelling | doaj.art-1eaf37f64ff54d45a21e2682a04fcc6f2023-12-28T08:52:54ZrusNational Research Mordovia State UniversityРегионология2413-14072587-85492023-12-0131475476910.15507/2413-1407.125.031.202304.754-769In Search of Balance: Family Care and Professional Employment of Women During Parental LeaveKaterina V. Fofanova0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2344-8986Valeria S. Dorogaykina1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8573-1464National Research Mordovia State UniversityRussian Research Institute of Economics, Politics and Law in the Scientific and Technical SphereIntroduction. In previous decades, parental leave was traditionally perceived as a period with a clear functional load that does not go beyond family care. While modern women in this period are trying to combine family care and professional employment. The purpose of the paper is to study the practices of combining family care and professional employment during the period of parental leave for up to three years. Materials and Methods. The methodological basis of the study has consisted of: a gender approach explaining the reasons for the imbalance of social roles performed by a woman during parental leave; a socio-cultural approach describing gender relations as a cultural and symbolic construct and allowing to understand the process of constructing models of behavior of women during parental leave; an institutional approach that allows to highlight the action of norms and functions, regulating the period of parental leave. The article is based on empirical data obtained in the period 2019‒2022 among women of the Republic of Mordovia. The study was based on a qualitative and quantitative strategy: the method of semi-formalized interviews and a questionnaire survey conducted in 2022 were used. Results. The article has shown that the time of parental leave is perceived by women not only as an opportunity to fulfill the maternal role, but also as a resource for professional self-realization. The paper substantiates the need for a new understanding of the meaning of parental leave, significantly expands the understanding of this period in the life of a woman and a family as a whole. Discussion and Conclusion. As a result of the study, various options for combining child care and professional employment were identified, groups of women demonstrating different models of “immersion in motherhood” were identified, conditions were determined that allow a woman to combine child care with professional activity. The article shows that the time of parental leave is perceived by women not only as an opportunity to fulfill the maternal role, but also as a resource for professional self-realization. The article substantiates the need for a new understanding of the meaning of parental leave, significantly expands the understanding of this period in the life of a woman and a family as a whole.https://regionsar.ru/en/node/2193family and career balancegender contract“dual employment”parental leave for up to three yearswomen’s career strategiescombining professional and family roles |
| spellingShingle | Katerina V. Fofanova Valeria S. Dorogaykina In Search of Balance: Family Care and Professional Employment of Women During Parental Leave Регионология family and career balance gender contract “dual employment” parental leave for up to three years women’s career strategies combining professional and family roles |
| title | In Search of Balance: Family Care and Professional Employment of Women During Parental Leave |
| title_full | In Search of Balance: Family Care and Professional Employment of Women During Parental Leave |
| title_fullStr | In Search of Balance: Family Care and Professional Employment of Women During Parental Leave |
| title_full_unstemmed | In Search of Balance: Family Care and Professional Employment of Women During Parental Leave |
| title_short | In Search of Balance: Family Care and Professional Employment of Women During Parental Leave |
| title_sort | in search of balance family care and professional employment of women during parental leave |
| topic | family and career balance gender contract “dual employment” parental leave for up to three years women’s career strategies combining professional and family roles |
| url | https://regionsar.ru/en/node/2193 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT katerinavfofanova insearchofbalancefamilycareandprofessionalemploymentofwomenduringparentalleave AT valeriasdorogaykina insearchofbalancefamilycareandprofessionalemploymentofwomenduringparentalleave |