Fewer Slavic women equate marriage with male-female interactions, and gender roles are shifting away from those of husband and wife. They still see ‘the perfect guy’ and ‘the ideal husband’ as comparable kinds, with the duties of breadwinner and protector as the common denominator.
The formerly prevalent ideas of the family as a household and the woman’s primary roles as wife and mother are giving way to the idea that the family must create mental comfort, and the wife’s key role is based on her ability to maintain the relationship thanks to her accommodating nature and a good sense of humor. Although the majority of Slavic women do not believe that the family must always be founded on a healthy marriage, including decent sex life, there is an increasing need for a family that can provide a cozy shelter from life’s storms.
Happiness is much more than simply love.
Love is recognized as an essential value in Slavic society, but it has never been seen as the most important factor in beginning a family. According to the Institute of Sociology survey, just 6% of Slavic women dream of love nowadays, while finding one’s true love ranks twelfth among respondents’ priorities — well below raising a family. A good family ranks fourth on the list of objectives, with 17% of Slavs wishing for one.
When questioned about their definition of personal happiness and what they would ask for if they could have one wish, 16 percent said they wanted to raise decent children, 25% said they wanted a nice family, and 20% said they wanted to meet their true love.
For many Slavic women today, happiness is defined by ‘living life to the fullest,’ not by having love, family, or children. Relationships are only one ingredient in this recipe.
Women are increasingly seeing their families as a source of physical and psychological comfort. However, the results of the poll reveal that for many Slavs, the quality of family bonds is not the most essential factor.
A happy family, according to many respondents, does not imply a problem-free,’ seamless’ connection. Furthermore, a happy family is not the same as personal happiness, which is a larger concept. A happy family, like self-realization, is more of an “ongoing project” that a person works on throughout his or her life. A happy family is considered a dream by less than a quarter of respondents (23%) who would like to have one.
The ideal man is both intelligent and attractive.
According to Slavic women, the ideal guy must be physically robust and healthy (59%), devoid of negative habits (38%), capable of producing a good income (33%), and educated (33% ). An appealing look, a sense of humor, and being useful around the house are other desirable attributes.
Notably, various social subgroups have varying priorities. Thus, women of major cities place a premium on appearance (24% in major cities vs. 14-15% elsewhere) and are less concerned about poor behaviors (30% vs. 34-43%, respectively).
The countryside, in contrast to the ‘glamorous’ image common in major cities, obviously favors the traditional image of the man as head of the family, husband, and father. A robust and healthy guy, devoid of harmful habits, who provides for his family, is a devoted spouse, a loving father, and a nice person are valued by rural inhabitants.
Gender vs. family relationships.
In today’s Slavic society, there are two separate values for each gender, and only one of these ideals is important to family life in each circumstance.
The ideal guy must be robust and healthy (69%), intellectual (37%), and free of undesirable behaviors when evaluated outside of a family context (33%). In contrast, the perfect guy, when considered from a family viewpoint, should make a solid livelihood (46%), be handy around the house (21%), and be faithful to his wife (21%), in addition to being healthy (47%) and devoid of bad habits(44%).
A household vs. a pleasant atmosphere for the family.
After analyzing the responses on preferred qualities of husbands, four models describing how Slavic women view the ideal marriage were identified, with the leading models being ‘the family as a psychological comfort zone’ and ‘the family as an economic unit (household),’ each chosen by one-third of the respondents (32% and 31%, respectively).
An attractive, bright, and confident lady with no negative habits and an intellectual guy making a solid wage make up a family that serves as a “psychological comfort zone.”
The economic foundation of a family is the marriage of a hardworking breadwinner husband and a caring and accommodating homemaker wife. The traditional Slavic beliefs on gender roles in the family are reflected in the later paradigm of marital interactions. According to this paradigm, a family’s success is essentially determined by its financial well-being, which, as Slavic and international studies have demonstrated, has a direct influence on family ties.
In conclusion, ideal family ideas are being updated and broadened, mostly due to the demand for psychological comfort. In major cities, Slavic women prioritize attractive looks, but they also regard their partner’s ability to make their house a welcoming and comfortable environment.