Procreational similarities of young men: cultural norms, individual desires and experiences
Procreational similarities of young men: cultural norms, individual desires and experiences
The first year of the project “Procreational similarities of young men: cultural norms, individual desires and experiences” is drawing to a close. All the intended tasks have been completed, 60 semi-structured interviews with young men (aged 19-34) from different locations in Lithuania, who are childless and from different social groups. The main instrument in this research were questions about young men’s concepts of fatherhood, other men’s assessments of fatherhood, procreational intentions and their change, readiness for becoming a father, their image of children and imagined activities and child care, and potential fatherhood scenarios. Much attention was given to questions about the research participants’ natural families, their relationships with their fathers, mothers and other close people. The scientists note that young men’s experiences in their own birth families and relationships with their immediate family impact on their procreational choices and concepts of fatherhood and manliness. During the interview, significant attention was also given to romantic relationships and their connections with fatherhood, as the nature and quality of relations with a partner and their existing experience in romantic relationships is very closely associated with young men’s procreational intentions and their realization. The group of questions on sexual behaviour and reproductive health helps reveal men’s procreational consciousness, their attitudes towards their own and their partner’s reproductive health, and their understanding of responsibility in family planning matters.
The total duration of recorded interview material is 109 hours and 6 minutes. The average duration of one interview is 1 hour and 49 minutes. Men who participated in the study came from Vilnius (25), Kaunas (12), Klaipėda (2), Šiauliai (6), Panevėžys (1), Kėdainiai (1), Marijampolė (1), Palanga (1), Biržai (1), Šilalė (1), Šeduva (1), Druskininkai (1), the Vilnius district (a village) (1), the Kaunas district (a town) (1), the Šiauliai district (a village) (1), the Alytus district (a village) (3), and the Šakiai district (a village) (1). Two of the informants who participated in the research are in constant migration between Lithuania and a foreign country. And certain informants who currently live in one of Lithuania’s larger cities originated from (i.e., lived there until they were 16) a smaller city or district (Alytus, Raseiniai, Pasvalys, Joniškis, Jurbarkas/ the Jurbarkas district, Šilutė, Šeduva, the Anykščiai district, the Alytus district, the Vilnius district, the Šakiai district, and the Šiauliai district), thus in a geographical sense, this made the variety of locations many times greater.
Two articles were written based on the research data, and five papers were read at three conferences: at the conference of the Lithuanian Sociologists’ Society “Sociological imagination and its policies”, that took place in October 11–12, 2013 in Klaipėda, at the international conference organized by Vilnius University’s Department of Social Work “Social work and power” that took place on November 8, 2013 and at the Lithuanian Social Forum Conference “Lithuanian Social Sciences Forum 2014” that took place on May 16–18, 2014 at the Molėtai Observatory.
An important premise of the realization of procreational intentions that was analyzed in the papers was romantic relationships, their normative ideals and the factors that contribute to their formation. Also discussed was the content and expression of procreational similarities amongst men from different social groups – where the differences could be based on education, socio-economic status, disability or non-traditional sexual orientation.
The theses of the papers delivered at the Lithuanian Sociologists’ Society conference can be viewed online at http://lsdkonferencija2013.wordpress.com/tezes/
The following papers were read at the conference:
A. Tereškinas, V. Tretjakova “Romantic relationships between normative ideals and severe optimism”
V. Tretjakova, L. Šumskaitė “The “obvious” right to have children: a reflexion on social privileges”
D. Šėporaitytė “The manliness and procreational desires of young men with a disability: contradictions and emancipation”
Two research publications were prepared based on the project research as well, and should shortly appear in scientific journals. Artūras Tereškinas, „Masculinity Scripts, Good Life and Familial Intentions: The Case of Young Lithuanian Men”; Lina Šumskaitė, “The Procreational Desires of Young Homosexual and Bisexual Men”. A. Tereškin’s publication gives an analysis of the associations between young men’s reproductive intentions and an envisaged “good life”, as well as what male practices encourage/hinder their reproductive intentions. L. Šumskaitė’s publication analyzes the procreational desires of young men who have a non-traditional sexual orientation and their associations with societal attitudes and an important life event – revealing one’s sexual orientation to their immediate circle.
During the second year of the project, there are plans ahead to prepare three scientific articles based on the project data, and to present the project’s results at two international conferences, as well as at events in Lithuania.
Project leader – Dr. Deimantė Šėporaitytė.
Project executors – junior research fellow Lina Šumskaitė, junior research fellow Vaida Tretjakova, Prof. Artūras Tereškinas.
Project duration: 2013 03 01–2014 12 31.
Project financed by the Lithuanian Council of Research (Nr. MIP 005/2013).