Childcare arrangements in the context of migration – case study of Czech families in Iceland

Pozvánky

Childcare arrangements in the context of migration – case study of Czech families in Iceland

17. 1. 2019

Sociologický ústav AV ČR, v.v.i., a katedra sociologie Institutu sociologických studií FSV UK zvou na další ze čtvrtečních sociologických seminářů - Childcare arrangements in the context of migration – case study of Czech families in Iceland.

"We discuss childcare arrangements in context of migration as negotiated position between different cultural models of care and welfare provision. We conceptualize care arrangements as results of mutual gendered cultural frameworks, institutional environments, and social networks both in country of origin and in country of residence. Our argument builds on a qualitative empirical case study among families from a Central Eastern European Country (CEEC) – the Czech Republic – living in a country with a Nordic welfare model – Iceland. Whereas Nordic countries support a dual earner/dual caregiver model based on egalitarian family policies, CEECs tend to be representatives of re-familialization and support full-time motherhood. The results reveal that normative ideals of appropriate care play a crucial role in the decisions about care arrangements for preschool children made by the migrant parents. However the family policy design has strong links to the normative believes on ‘good parenting’, migrant families opt for a model of care negotiated between the norms of the host country and the country of origin. The care arrangements in migrant families of our sample often reflected believes on appropriate care dominant in the country of origin (the Czech Republic) more than in the destination country (Iceland)."

Lenka Formánková works at the Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences. She leads research project entitled Care arrangements and work-life reconciliation strategies of migrants in the Czech Republic supported by Czech Science Foundation. In 2018 has completed a six months research stay at the University of Iceland supported by project International mobility of researchers of the Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences financed through ESF, Operational Programme Research, Development and Education.

(In cooperation with prof. Guðný Björk Eydal, Faculty of Social Work, School of Social Studies, University of Iceland) 

When: 17.1. 2019

Where: Jilská 1, Praha 1