Filozofija i drustvo 2019 Volume 30, Issue 3, Pages: 399-417
https://doi.org/10.2298/FID1903399C
Full text ( 312 KB)
The limits of individualizing parenthood in Serbia: Study of gender socialization of children
Ćeriman Jelena (University of Belgrade, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, Belgrade, Serbia)
This paper seeks to explore the limits of individualizing parenthood in
Serbia, gleaned from the example of gender socialization of children. The
main thesis is that the noted limits to individualization of parenthood in
contemporary society have a particular Serbian manifestation due to the
country’s familism. The study traces the ideology of familism through
normative aspects of gender structures within contemporary Serbian society,
that is, by analyzing the presence and forms of expression of the
patriarchal matrix in upbringing practices of parents, the most significant
element of which is the ethics of good parenthood. The analysis shows that
individualization of parenthood and more egalitarian patterns of gender
socialization occur above all due to the dynamic within the marital
relationship, one which abandons the concept of sacrificial parenthood. The
analysis presented here is based on data collected in empirical research of
upbringing practices in contemporary Serbia.
Keywords: familism, individualization, parenthood, upbringing practices, gender socialization