This is a serious reflection on the basis of current research. Here is an article by Olga Zdravomyslova from internet magazine Women and Society
Against the backdrop of social and political upheavals of the last time, few people pay attention to more subtle changes. Nevertheless, they have profound and lasting effect on the whole structure of our lives, as inherited from the past affect the notion of norm and deviation from the norm, of duty and freedom, the social roles that people should play. To the phenomena of this kind belongs and what is happening before our eyes, change the male role in society.
For the successful functioning of a society man, by definition, the French sociologist D. Berto, and K. Delkrua requires a "double reinforcement": professional employment and family. But by the end of the twentieth century, self-affirmation and men in family and in professional fields is more complicated.
Acquisition and preservation of the status of a male husband and father has become a serious social problem because of rising divorce rates and increasing the number of children born out of marriage. The scale of this process following figures: in "safe" countries of the European Community, the index of the number of divorces per 1000 population increased more than threefold between 1960 and 1992. In the past five years the process has slowed somewhat, but this is due not so much a tendency to strengthen the family, how much reduction in the number of marriages. In the European community, the number of children born outside marriage has increased from 8,8% per cent in 1980 to 20% in 1992. Number of families with one parent (usually - the mother) was in the early 1990's, about 11,2% of all households.
Along with the threat of loss of spousal and paternal roles, being erosion and the role of professional men. First of all, this is due to the growing threat of unemployment, increasing its size. Job loss or change, requires reducing the ambitions to become an indispensable part of life experience of a growing number of men. In addition, in the professional field intensifies competition between men and women. Professional competition "infiltrated" and the family. In the early 1970's Western sociologists have attempted to investigate and describe a family of two working spouses and family with two careers "as a fundamentally new styles, giving birth to new relations in the sphere of family power and new types of conflicts. Changes that inevitably occur in these families affect both marital and parental roles.
a growing number of Western studies describe the change in male roles in society through the term "crisis of masculinity." It is expressed primarily in the fact that the so-called traditional norms male behavior, which form a stereotype of masculinity, digestible boys and young men in the course of socialization, all in less of a success or even a simple adaptation of an adult male in society. Identify several basic rules on which the image of a "real man":
- avoidance behavior any hint of femininity, a ban on emotion, that is the extreme restraint in the expression of feelings (especially such as tenderness, love, trust, weasel),
- constant striving for achievement and social status, self-confidence,
- aggressiveness,
- intolerance towards homosexuals,
- high and "reckless" sexuality.
man with such a set of qualities, appears as an overbearing and hard winner, designed to dominate the family and society. It is assumed that he was always able to achieve the set - even the highest - goals, certainly benefit from a competitor who turned down for some reason at the height requirements carefully the requirements of man. Such a hero, of course, need a friend code of conduct which all opposites, and the scope of activities which, in practice, does not intersect with the "masculine".
No need to prove that the reality in which we live, rejects the strict regulatory both female and male roles. However, the rate of female roles were much more flexible, able to change and femininity in the minds of men are much less identified with weakness and passivity, masculinity than with physical strength and the desire for dominance and high social achievements. The secret lies in the fact that for a long time these qualities men to ensure effective execution of its key role in society - the role of family breadwinner. The famous explorer cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead, believed that the role of "social invention" and the specifically human values. Its essence is as follows: "Future a man learns that when he grows up, one of the essential things that he would have to do to become a full member of society, will ensure food of some woman and her offspring. Even in very simple societies, few men can shirk this responsibility and become vagrants misanthropes, living in solitude in the woods "(Margaret Mead, Culture and the world of childhood, MA, 1988, s.312).
Looking at how to make a" simple society ", and watching life is changing today's complex societies, Margaret Mead warned that the male role of breadwinner of the family "may be lost" (ibid.. s.309). Perhaps it is This subconscious fear of humanity is due to the persistence and even a kind of renaissance, which is experiencing periodic image of the "classical" masculinity. In Russia, this fear manifests itself much stronger than in the modern West.
turn to the contemporary Russian experience of socialization boys and young men, which is built on the images of characters in the film-fighters, "the new heroes of the modern Russian business. Here you can mark all over apparent compromise of the "classical" intellectual, unable to succeed in the "cool business" and therefore losing in the eyes of young people every attractiveness and prestige. Society as it asks the man: if you're not a winner in a fierce struggle for money and influence, then who are you? And he answers quite specifically: you are not a man because you can not even keep their family "at the proper level." As in "simple societies" described by Margaret Mead, the requirement a family, we counted men as not just a principal, but the only duties.
In early 1990 we conducted a comparative study "The Family: The East-West" in Russia and several European countries. His results showed that it was among the Russian respondents was highest percentage of family men are uniquely focused on professionaldnuyu sphere - 11% percent. In West Germany, this group was 5%, in Poland - 4%, in Eastern Germany - 3%, while in Hungary and Sweden - only 2%.
By the number of "family-oriented" men's Russia (19%) "like" only in West Germany (18%), the only country in our study, where among male respondents was the largest group of non-working wives, husbands, that is actually the "sole breadwinner". In all other countries this group of "family-oriented" men appeared in a half to two times higher. The respondents' answers to questions about the intra-life showed that tendency to design a new male role, which is typical for European countries, Russia is much weaker, and the "crisis of masculinity", according to some results much brighter. Thus, the Russian men twice as likely to express dissatisfaction with their relationships with children and the marital relationship. At the same time, they are four times more likely to argue that "the participation of the father in child care creates many problems." The vast majority of Russian men are considering the period When his wife was taking care of the child, as an exceptionally hard time, complicated by frequent family conflict. In general, their responses provide distinct impression that the family man in Russia exist within a very rigid rules and little choice: they must be either a traditional "Getters" or provide a full and final losers.
This result is quite unexpected, given the numerous studies of Soviet time show that in our recent past, the trend towards equality was dominant in the family. "Basic" Soviet model - a family with two working spouses - Was certainly not perfect, but its principal novelty in comparison with the past was that working outside the home the wife was sufficiently independent figure and could vapolnyat role as an independent, and sometimes even the main, the breadwinner in the family. Interestingly, in the Soviet Equitable family, functioned in much least due to the double employment of women, kept longing for the traditional norms and the actual reproduction of them primarily in sotsializitsii boys and young men.
In 1995, I conducted a survey among students in Moscow and economists. They described the modern successful Russian businessman, as if having before my eyes above standards of conduct "real" men. The boys pointed out that he needed rigidity and cruelty, authoritativeness, aggressiveness, perseverance in achieving goals, self-confidence and secrecy. And explained that the world is for strong men. " As you can see, the modern Russian society is actualized traditional norms of masculinity: to live outside the family, who nevertheless yavletsya important indicator of social status of men, and that You must be able to contain. Deviation from these norms is facing failure and even collapse of the real life. And because the stay on the normal "Average" in Russia is becoming more and more difficult, a man increasingly at risk of losing status, including family.
But if you still take more than one only the "monetary value" of life, no matter how true it is now in Russia, and a broader perspective and to remember our own recent experience, it appears that "the crisis of masculinity" is not fiction. Culture imperiously requires a change in rigid norms of male behavior and retention in the minds and experiences of new generations other social and psychological skills who have an obvious contradiction to traditional norms of male behavior. The question arises: is not followed Does the wake of the destruction of the traditional model of male breadwinner model of fracture behavior in general? What is the output is possible here?
Research last years have shown that today's young men in the West much more than their fathers, self-actualization became associated with family life and a relatively with fathers, with less self-affirmation in the professional arena. One could even argue that they are no longer just want to "have" a family as a reinforcement of their social status, but they want to "be" in it. One indication of this is that modern fathers have significantly more delve into the upbringing of children, spend more with time and even take in relation to children of traditionally "parent" responsibilities.
This trend was significant enough to begin to describe the modern family-oriented men as a social phenomenon of post-industrial society. For example, the Norwegian sociologists Halter, Aarseth and Nilsson were able to distinguish among the "family-oriented" men four typical shapes. First of all, - a man for whom family is a continuation of career and who through relationships with children as it increases their overall social competence. Secondly - is "a caring man" who, really, deeply emotsiolnalno included in home life, in relationships with children, seeing the family home in the sphere of its realization. Third, - "a fair man," taking on part of family responsibilities that it performs consistently and regularly. And finally - the "family idealist," which strongly extols family, announces it as their main asset, but in fact, carries a sharp line between the home and professional life while participating in the first only in word-level recognition of the importance of "family ideology".
new demands of life is reflected in the modern idea of \u200b\u200bthe perfect man. Studies conducted in 1995 in Sweden B. Bergsten and M. Back Vikling showed that most of the "ideal" consists of "twelve characteristics. The procedure most often upominiemyh as reflecting their importance to respondents of men and women. From the perspective of the men themselves, the ideal man should be - honest - well educated - just, - Cheerful - delicate - reliable - responsible - energetic - confident, - quiet, - resourceful - able to empathize.
From the standpoint of women, modern perfect man - honest - delicate - is capable of empathy - well educated - resourceful - cheerful - energetic - responsibility - independent, - fair, - Generous and reliable.
As can be seen, men and women draw the image, very little relevant norms of traditional masculinity. It is not primarily "Avoid any hint of femininity" and "a ban on emotion." On the contrary, and themselves, men and women in particular emphasize the emotional openness and precisely those qualities that make a man first and foremost the ability to communicate with women and children, to an understanding, not submission to others. In this new ideal is not even a hint of authoritativeness, aggressiveness, and no mention of force. Recall that family life becomes a continuation of a career for men and even a "second career" - Not in the sense of a simple reinforcement of their social status, and that the relationship with his wife and children to participate fully in family life becomes for him a way self, no less (and sometimes more!) degree than a profession. This is evident even when a man estranged from his family, continues to be full-fledged father her child - a situation that is becoming more popular and "normal" in the West.
There is no doubt that the "male" and "female" culture traditionally clearly separated, and the closer mix: women are devoting more time to professional work, while men are more personal time, give your home life. Because of this, the role of "breadwinner", it loses its rigidity and certainty, its boundaries are gradually eroded.
course this creates great difficulties for the men's socialization is still tied to the breadwinner model tratsitsionnoy. The latter is extremely typical of modern Russia, where so far more likely to talk and write about a return to certain traditional norms, distorted in the Soviet era than about the crisis of those disciplines, including including the crisis of classical notions of masculinity. That is why Russian men is more real danger of being marginalized - losers terms of the requirements of traditional male roles and at the same time losers in the current role, yet a state of flux and open to experimentation.
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