Abstract

This study presents an analysis of recent developments in fathers’ roles in Slovakia, a country that has experienced multiple social and economic transformations in post-totalitarian Central Eastern Europe. Data from a qualitative study show that the social norms associated with the Second Demographic Transition do not constitute a homogenous unit. Young people delay reproduction due to numerous needs. A new norm is emerging-the necessity of establishing a family only once a state of economic independence has been reached. The study discusses the role of the “irreplaceable mother” and the problem of the complementarity of parental roles, shifts in negative stereotypes about men, and emerging forms of affirmative fatherhood.