Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1)
Private is Public: Gender, Care and the Public

Editorial: Work-life Balance - an Important Topic of Political Debate in Democratic Societies

Alena Křížková

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 5-8  

Towards a Feminist Concept of Care as a Critical Category of Social Inequality

Zuzana Uhde

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 9-30 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2009.45.1.02  

The author of this article focuses on the theoretical framework of the concept of care as a critical category of social inequality in order to outline possibilities for a redefinition of the relationship between work and care. Gender inequalities as well as inequalities that are based on other social categories, such as class, ethnicity, nationality, geopolitical location, marital status, and so on are incorporated in the social organisation of care which retrospectively reinforces them. Feminist debate has thus far formulated demands for the recognition of caring persons mainly at the national level, but the author of the article, referring to Arlie...

Parents in the Labor Market: Between Work and Care

Alena Křížková, Marta Vohlídalová

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 31-60 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2009.45.1.03  

In this article the authors map the theoretical arguments on the gender dimension of the welfare state. They propose three integral dimensions of conceptualising the exercise of parenthood in Czech society in relation to gender equality in the labour market that co-determine the position of parents in the labour market. The authors analyse these dimensions using data from two representative sociological surveys. 1) The right to be a parent (to care for one's child) and the right to work: the measures provided in the Czech welfare state are based on the myth that there are two separate worlds of work and care in conformity with the gender principle,...

Inadequate Mothers? The Image of a Good Mother and Its Impact on the Labour-force Participation of Mothers

Michaela Potančoková

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 61-88 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2009.45.1.04  

Numerous studies have confirmed that caring for small children is still the domain of women in Slovakia. Maternity as such is considered the natural and expected role of women and is part of the construction of femininity in Slovak society. At the same time, it is expected and routine that Slovak women participate in the labour market, and the prevailing form of employment is full-time work. This complicates efforts to harmonise work with the need to care for a small child. It is not just the country's legislative and institutional framework that shape notions about caring for small children; they are also influenced by the views and attitudes of society...

Caring Fathers: Stories Full of Diversity

Hana Maříková

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 89-114 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2009.45.1.05  

The transformation of the social institution of the family in an individualised society is tied also to other demands and expectations relating to parenthood, and fatherhood is no exception in this regard. This article focuses on fathers who have accepted the modern norm of fatherhood and have played an active role by personally caring for their children, in particular, as primary carers during their period of parental leave. The entry of fathers into a sphere our culture has traditionally defined as belonging to women necessarily raises one basic question - 'What does the experience of caring for their children mean in the minds of fathers?' - which...

Father, Father, and Child: Gay Men and Parenthood in the Czech Republic

Věra Sokolová

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 115-146 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2009.45.1.06  

The article is based on the first sociological study of the attitudes and preferences of Czech men who identify themselves as gay towards (gay) fatherhood, family, and parenthood. The main arguments of the study evolve around the themes of the (overwhelmingly positive) parental desires of the gay men participating in the study; their internalised moral dilemmas connected to gay fatherhood; the reproductive choices and limits that structure the attitudes of gay men towards parenthood and family; and gender stereotypes about family/parenting models and the roles these men occupy. The article is divided into two main parts. The fi rst part introduces...

Women over Thirty - Specific Reproductive Strategies and Their Sources

Michaela Bartošová

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 147-176 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2009.45.1.07  

A specific feature of Czech women today, who are timing the motherhood or staying childless after thirty, stems from their socialisation in a different political and demographical regime than they were in at the start of their reproductive period. The changes connected with the transformation of Czech society after 1989 affected their life courses. Instead of following the demographic behaviour of their mothers why do these women postpone motherhood to a later age or remain childless? What do the life courses and reproductive strategies of contemporary women over thirty look like? The qualitative research discussed in this article is based on in-depth...

How Men and Women Experience Infertility: Gender Aspects of Assisted Reproduction

Lenka Slepičková

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 177-204 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2009.45.1.08  

This article is based on a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with women and men suffering from fertility problems. It analyses the negotiations between partners confronted with the diagnosis of infertility and seeking the best solution. The analysis examined how men and women define their roles in the treatment of infertility, how they perceive their partners' coping and involvement, and conflicting and controversial topics and situations. Data suggest that the burden of infertility is unequal. While treatment involves a woman fully in the physical and the psychological sense, the involvement of the man and potential father in the treatment...

The Ethics of Care. Personal, Political, and Global (Zuzana Uhde)

Virginia Held

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 205-207  

Politicising Parenthood in Scandinavia. Gender Relations in Welfare States (Radka Dudová)

A. L. Ellingsaeter, A. Leira (ed.)

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 208-210  

Die Kinderfrage heute. Über Frauenleben, Kinderwunsch und Geburtenrückgang (Kamila Krčková)

Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 211-215  

Sociální kritika v éře globalizace: odstraňování sociálně-ekonomických nerovností a konfliktů (Stanislav Holubec)

Marek Hrubec (ed.)

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 216-218  

Gender and the Politics of Time: Feminist Theory and Contemporary Debates (Jiří Šubrt)

Valerie Bryson

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 219-222  

Zpráva z doktorandského kurzu a workshopu FEMCIT - Výzkum genderovaného občanství a ženských hnutí v multikulturní Evropě

Blanka Nyklová

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 223-224  

Mají se české (a slovenské) sociální vědy zabývat sexualitou?

Zdeněk Sloboda

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 225-227  

Diverzita rodin, přístupů k nim a rodinných politik

Hana Maříková

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 228-229  

Zpráva z konference Když senioři potřebují pomoci

Kateřina Dovrtělová

Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2009, 45(1): 230