Atrakcyjność i aktualność badań prowadzonych wokół życia rodzinnego związana jest z dynamicznymi przemianami społeczno-kulturowymi, gospodarczymi, a także politycznymi zachodzącymi w skali globalnej. Nie bez znaczenia dla funkcjonowania rodziny i jej członków jest również sytuacja światowej pandemii, która znacząco wpłynęła na strukturę rodziny oraz potrzeby i wartości cenione przez jej członków. Żywotność tematu skłania do refleksji nad kondycją współczesnej rodziny i rodzi potrzebę poznania skutków oddziaływań zewnętrznych na jej kształt i środowisko wewnętrzne. W zaprezentowanym opracowaniu podejmuję rozważania wokół problematyki rodziny, interesują mnie przede wszystkim małżeństwa mieszane, które stają się coraz bardziej widoczne, nie tylko w statystykach zawieranych małżeństw, a przede wszystkim w życiu społecznym. Zawiązywanie małżeństw mieszanych znajduje swoje uzasadnienie w zwiększonej mobilności społecznej, pozbawieniu barier świata komunikacji interpersonalnej (powszechne wykorzystanie nowoczesnych technologii w życiu zawodowym oraz osobistym), może również wynikać z indywidualnych potrzeb i preferencji osób zawierających takie związki małżeńskie. Małżeństwo mieszane samo w sobie może być wartością, jednak fakt bycia w takim związku może stanowić swego rodzaju balast. Zaprezentowane opracowanie jest próbą uchwycenia pewnych tendencji zachodzących w doświadczeniach życia społecznego przez małżeństwa mieszane. W artykule wyróżniam trzy części, w których kolejno wprowadzam w problematykę życia rodzinnego i funkcjonowania małżeństw mieszanych, następnie analizuję dane i materiały, nakreślając pewne tendencje odnoszące się do różnych aspektów życia rodzinnego i życia w społeczeństwie. Opracowanie kończę podsumowaniem i wskazaniem wniosków.

The paper focuses on the assessment of how effective the Korean government’s actions taken to increase the fertility rate are. South Korea is a country with a very low fertility rate which is below the replacement level. This demographic situation causes the ageing of the Korean population. The paper shows the contemporary family policy, the analysis of sociodemographic indicators and the analysis based on the data from the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Families in the two periods of time: in 2007 and 2018, in order to show changes in the fertility intentions among the Korean women – in the sociological perspective. The statistical analysis indicates that the majority of the respondents had no intentions of having children. The results indicate that the Korean government’s actions are not sufficient to create an environment supporting the family in fertility intentions and behaviour, which is reflected in the continued low fertility rate.

The author addresses cognitively important issues concerning values and activities conducive to their development in the family, which is the basic factor in shaping the personality of a child. We are living in the times of globalization, when the importance of family and values passed on by it are being underestimated in various ways. Globalization has caused an enormous confusion of values. The old, traditional values are often outdated, while the new, incomprehensible ones, interfere with the process of upbringing. Additionally, relativism dominating the society has become the basis for blurring the boundaries between what is moral and what is immoral. The aim of this article is to draw attention to the special role of values in the process of upbringing and to stimulate actions supporting the family through education and prevention. The above considerations lead to the conclusion that the family is an important value in the life of a child. It constitutes their most important environment for development and upbringing. Nevertheless, it requires help and support from the state. But above all, we cannot just be passive witnesses of our children’s development these days.

The article discusses institutions providing support and aid to people with disabilities and their families. The theoretical determinants of the aid process were discussed in the context of the possible forecasting of strategies for these interactions within the functioning of public, non-governmental and private institutions (without budgetary subsidies). The important area highlighted in the paper was not only disability and the family’s needs but also the nature of a possible support which should depend on a forecast of actions resulting out of the nature and grade of person’s disability. In turn, the scope of proposed solutions should comprise of a package of offers dependent on the grade and nature of person’s disability and should lead to their life and economic independence. However, this requires a tripartite social dialogue, good will, and understanding of each person requiring a long-term support and aid. This article ends with a short conclusion highlighting the need for immediate actions for starting a social dialogue in order to establish a tri-sectoral aid, and within its scope, a reasonable forecast of the needs of the child with disabilities.

The article deals with the field of gifted children, who are considerably neglected from the point of view of programmatic and legislative approaches in the field of education in the Republic of Slovenia. The substantive research focus is therefore mainly on understanding and detailing the role of parents in discovering characteristics of potential giftedness and the role that parents have in promoting the child’s potential in one of the areas of giftedness. In the empirical part of the paper, we examined the extent to which parents perceive potential giftedness in their preschool children and whether they encourage them in developing their potential in different areas of giftedness. We used a descriptive, noncausal, and nonexperimental method. The survey sample included 201 parents of preschool children in the developmental period of early childhood from 4 to 6 years. Data were obtained using a questionnaire developed based on Giftedness Rating Scale to identify gifted children in elementary school and adapted to survey participants. Based on the established hypotheses, we reviewed the differences in the perception and promotion of different areas of potential giftedness in relation to the child’s gender and age, the parents’ educational level, and the outstanding strong area subjectively assessed by the parents. We also examined the relationship between the variables of perception and promotion of potential giftedness. The results of the study are relevant to the field of potentially gifted preschool children and the further recognition and promotion of their potential in kindergarten and in the family.

Family relationships and parents’ behavior towards their children are factors that significantly influence the development of a child’s personality and their behavior modeling. Parenting styles are often seen as having an impact on their child’s social functioning. Having this in mind, this paper presents the results of research on key aspects of the influence that parenting styles have on the development of social competences and anti-social behavior in children. Standardized instruments (SSBS-2 and VS scale) were used in the research, and the sample included a total number of 705 students and 44 head-class teachers2. The research was conducted in primary schools on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija (Serbia). The results obtained indicated a correlation between parenting styles and students’ social competences and anti-social behavior, with a mother’s detached attitude standing out as a negative predictor of children’s social functioning.

The paper presents research findings concerning desired parental activities for peer violence prevention. An instrument was created for the purpose of this research, and study sample comprised 480 participants, including 170 parents, 94 teachers and 206 students. Activities perceived as more important were open communication and greater control of children’s behavior, while parents’ participation in school was assessed as less important. The “School without violence” program was recognized as a significant resource for empowering family activities in peer violence prevention. This implies that it is important to implement family support programs and to develop parents’ skills.

The proto-industrial family and the perspectives of its demographic research in the 18th and the first half of the 19th century (an example of the village Stružinec in north-eastern Bohemia)

Proto-industrialization is an interesting phenomenon that has been discussed for more than half a century. The most disputed part of this theory is the demographic aspects. The submitted article focuses on research opportunities of the proto-industrial family in the 18th and 19th centuries; the research focuses on Stružinec u Lomnice nad Popelkou, a village in north-eastern Bohemia. Only a comprehensive study of demographic indicators makes it possible to establish the basic differences between the family in proto-industrial and agriculture-based areas.

The article presents the sociological aspect of the empirical research carried out among students of Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra in Slovakia, the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seul in South Korea and among students of the University of Silesia in Katowice, concerning their opinion on family life in the contemporary society and their preferred life model. The research was conducted on a research sample of 1341 students. The main research tool used during the research was a questionnaire containing 43 questions. The collected data were statistically analyzed in the program SPSS. The analysis of the conducted research shows a dissonance between the preferred life model and the significance of family life. Generally, most respondents preferred marriage as a type of relationship for the future, while claiming that family life is less and less important.

Theoretical deliberation on the process of transformation of family system and how its functioning as well as data obtained in course of empirical research specify conditions of development of youth brought up in single-parent families. Picture of situation of educational development functioning of single-parent families gives theoretical knowledge on deficite of these educational environments. The most common hazards are within psychosocial factors. On the basis of obtained data and scientific theories conclusions were drawn for educational practice and requirement of work with families at the school counselor level were finally expressed. Within the framework of activities addressed to families of changed structure both work with children growing up in described environments must be included and work with single parents. Proposed activities should be of repair and support type.

The article analyzes the relation between the individual and the family in traditional China in a historical and cultural context. It concludes that the family, besides being a source of material support, provides a sense of identity, which is obtained through the performance of family role ethics. The ethics consist in fulfilling one’s specific obligations, such as filial piety, obedience, responsibility for family members, etc. Through practicing them since childhood, individuals shape their personality in a way that enables them to participate in a hierarchical, patriarchal family structure and maintain harmonious relations with its members.

Children’s individual experience gained within families may lead to the development of both prosocial and aggressive behaviours. The aim of the paper is to analyse the phenomenon of aggression in the family environment. Extensive specialist literature indicates that there are often many co-occurring factors that determine child aggression. Children live in a dysfunctional family, in conditions of poverty and parental pathology, experience parental hostility and violence, are neglected, their vital biological and psychological needs are not met, they undergo inadequate upbringing training. They also experience aggression in sibling relations. Thus, the family provides them with comprehensive aggressive education for years. An important issue is to prevent and control aggression in the family. It is not easy and requires actions at three levels: social, individual and family. The article also presents an interesting intervention model in a sibling aggression situation.

Courtesy stigma – a challenge for intercultural education

In the article, I describe sick people and people from their immediate environment as Other. I present sociological concepts and research results regarding courtesy stigma. I present an analysis of the narrative interview regarding the mother’s experience of stigmatizing a sick child. Intercultural education is to prepare for life in a diverse world, shape the understanding of difference, learn to get rid of prejudices and stereotypes, therefore, in the end of my considerations, I propose solutions to this pedagogical concept that can improve the well-being of sick people and their relatives stigmatized by the environment.

A family with a skipped generation: the lived experiences of grandparents raising grandchildren

Aim: In the last decade, many countries around the world have seen an increase in the number of skip-generation families in which grandparents take over the responsibility of raising grandchildren. The phenomenon described is also becoming more common in Poland. This article presents selected results of a study aimed at better understanding the experiences of grandparents raising grandchildren in skipped generation families. Methods: Participants were purposively selected from grandparents raising grandchildren living in skipped generation families in the Podlaskie Province. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 20 participants. The use of a biographical perspective in the research provided detailed narratives of the life experiences of older grandparents in skip generation families. Results and conclusions: The grandparents’ stories show the duality of experience consisting simultaneously of stress/satisfaction, sadness/joy, being seen/not seen. Addressing the issues faced by grandparents living in households with the skipped generation is important as it can reduce stress levels. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a model of support for grandparents raising grandchildren in skipped generation households which could be relevant for adapting to a new life situation and increasing psychological well-being.

This article focuses the reader’s attention on understanding trust as a research category in the context of the functioning of modern families. This issue is sufficiently represented in research work, especially overall trust as the context of the functioning of modern man in the interpersonal space. However, there is no reference to family ties and their strength, which are shaped by the trust. This article is the result of part of a large research project carried out in 2020 on Polish families. The questionnaire’s questions for the analysis concerned intimate issues such as betrayal or faithfulness. The respondents were also asked about other family members having access to their personal belongings, including mutual assistance or small loans. The article draws the reader’s attention to the issues of interpersonal relations and the importance of the family in the respondents’ minds. The research contains interesting information on the preferences of the research category in shaping family relationships, the strength of family ties and the social roles performed based on these. The data show a change in the functioning of the modern family, especially in the context of its functions and family members’ roles.

Catholic Marital and Family Morality in the View of School Youth

The author analyses several issues related to the broadly understood human sexuality perceived in the perspective of pro-family values and norms of Catholic provenance. In sociological research, the results of which are discussed in this article, high school students responded to selected attitudes and behaviours negatively evaluated in Catholic marital and family ethics, such as: sexual intercourse before church marriage, use of contraceptives, marital infidelity, divorce, and abortion. The changes taking place in the sphere of intimacy are clear. A significant part of young Poles is in a dissonant-stressful situation. There is no correspondence between a personally recognised and practiced value system and a value system derived from religion. Some Catholics live according to rules and norms that have no legitimacy in the Catholic religion. However, it should be emphasized that sociologists with an empirical orientation are more interested in questioning and transgressing moral norms than in their content or social recognition, and they speak too hastily about permissiveness and moral relativism.

Working abroad in educational and occupational experiences of individuals (as exemplified by migrant live-in/elderly caregivers in Germany). Selected survey results

As a response to social needs, the job of a round-the-clock live-in caregiver for the elderly is a type of employment that requires mobility in the demanding labour market. The cause for this has been a rapidly growing demand for senior care. In the German market, caregiver’s work is particularly often carried out by migrant workers, including Polish nationals. As a Poland’s close neighbour sharing broadly the same cultural background, Germany has become for many Poles a potential labour market. A bilateral survey was carried out to identify experiences, earlier educational and occupational paths, motivations, opinions, evaluations, and attitudes of respondents employed as migrant live-in caregivers in German households. The sample consisted of 119 individuals. The survey results demonstrate that the respondents view their occupation as caregivers as, on the one hand, a source of income and an escape from financial hardship and, on the other hand, a challenge that allowed them to prove their value and satisfy the need to be useful. Working as caregivers, they learn and develop their interpersonal skills (relations with other people, patience, humbleness) and intramental skills (reflections on the transience of human life, the old age, handling the death and loss).

The study comprised 200 teaching faculty students. It was expected from the students to depict a moment from the future family lives that they expect to have. After the pictures had been drawn, a half-structured group interview was performed with the students about their pictures. The content analysis of the pictures was inspected by 1 pediatric development expert, 1 psychologist and 1 psychological consultant in 5 different sub-contexts and reviewed against the answers given by the students. According to the findings of the study, while female students drew pictures depicting them spending time with their partners and children, male students tended to draw pictures in which they are spending time more individually (e.g., watching TV, soccer matches, etc.). Another finding of the study is that every student wants a family life except 2. Nearly everybody wants a child, but there can be differences concerning the number of children they want. One of the most important results of the study is that, while there are traditional attitudes about families, there can also be differences in modern attitudes.

The article presents a selected aspect of broader sociological empirical research into the issues of family and the phenomenon of cohabitation conducted among the students of the University of Constantine the Philosopher in the Republic of Slovakia and of the University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. The presented analysis of the survey research results focuses on the determination of the importance of the institution of marriage for the youth belonging to academic environment. The results of the research have proven that in spite of the increasing level of liberalisation of marriage and family life a large percentage of students both from Poland and Slovakia perceived marriage as a valuable institution of high importance to the questioned individuals.

On the Importance of the Constitutional Principle of Legal Protection of Family Life in the Process of Applying the Law

The purpose of the article is to show the importance of the constitutional rule of legal protection of family life in the process of application of the law, during which the determination of the correct meaning of the norm of the law by means of a constitutional norm, is primarily important for a proper, pro-constitutional interpretation and ensures that the decision to apply the law, will be correct. The starting point for the research assumption will be an attempt to determine what designations constitute the concept of legal protection of the family, what provisions of the Polish Constitution implement this principle, and what is the function and subjective scope of this guarantee. The analysis will focus on selected provisions of the Polish Constitution and rulings of common courts, administrative courts, the Supreme Administrative Court and the Supreme Court, in which the discussed principle influenced the decision to apply the law.