Page 45 - TLU magazine - The Way to The Top

“What people think about gender roles
in Estonia does not explain very well how Estonians really act.”
With this result, it would be expected to seek explanations from, for example, prevailing val- ues. These analyses did not draw clear patterns for Estonia either – we are somewhere in the middle of the European comparison of our gen- der behavioural values, yet when talking about the unequal division of household chores, we tend to gravitate towards the division distinc- tive of East Europe. “What people think about gender roles in Estonia does not explain very well how Estonians really act.”
What was the most surprising discovery?
In many cases, according to the Estonian
AKU, education has a lesser-than-expected impact, such as how much parents spend time with their children. While in previous studies conducted outside Estonia, the general link has been that parents with higher education also spend more time with their children, in Estonia this link is less uniform. For example, most pre- school children in Estonia go to kindergarten full time, despite their parents' educational level or socio-economic status, so the so-called "par- ent effect" is more difficult to develop simply because of time constraints.
It was also interesting how parents, for example,
Kadri Täht
interpreted their children's education and choices when children were still in kindergar- ten.
What is foreign? Should we continue to research the same topic?
Many questions remain open and I would certainly like to continue with this direction of research. It is my particular interest to look for influences and relationships at the household level, looking at it as a community where each member has their own contribution and role, how time use patterns develop and what their impact is. Also the consequences of practiced time use patterns for household cohesion.
Personal research grant project "My Time, Your Time, Our Time. How Families Use Their Time – Choice or Necessity?" lasted from 1 January 2016 − 31 December 2019 and was funded by the Estonian Research Council with more than €200,000. Principal Investigator: Associate professor of sociol- ogy at Tallinn University Institute of Social Sciences Kadri Täht. Research track associate professor Jelena Helemäe, research fellows Gerli Nimmerfeldt and Margarita Kazjulja and doctoral student Pille Ubakivi-Hadachi are also involved from Tallinn University.
Research communication specialist Kertu Kula
TALLINN UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE / NO. 14 / SPRING 2020
45
Photo: Piret Räni