Fundamental Pedagogy Jana Doležalová

10.4 Contemporary Family and its Impact on Education of 
Children and Young People 
Changing conditions in the social life have resulted in changes in relations 
between society members, which is reflected within family in the relations 
between partners and towards children. 
If the family trends at the turn of the second millennium included

falling birth- and marriage-rates, fewer children per family;

higher age of entering into the first marriage, of giving birth to the first 
child (women prefer career; problems with conception); 

a higher number of families where there is only one parent taking care of 
the child (children); 

a higher number of families with one household member; 

a higher number of unmarried parents and unmarried persons living 
together without children; 

a higher number of divorces; 

a lower number of those re-marrying after divorce, 
these trends have now deepened even more. (The negative trends are also 
apparent from divorce rate figures published by the Czech Statistical Office: In 
2012, 28,000 marriages were divorced, which affected 24,000 minor children.) 
However, also new critical moments have emerged such as single parents 
ending up with their children in the street as homeless.
Other trends are related to family diversification as stressed by V. Kurincová (In 
Duchovičová et al., 2013). There is also an increasing number of different 
family forms, e.g. families of immigrants, families where one of the parents 
lives and works abroad on a long-term basis; the number of homosexual 
parents is increasing in some countries in Western Europe, or there are families 

---

76 
with different religions, etc. According to Kurincová, both pedagogues (with 
their specific skills) and schools should be prepared for such situations (schools 
through a welcoming and open approach to this diversity). 
Many experts have been also pointing to the changing role of father and 
mother (e.g. Střelec, 2005, Novotná In Kasíková, Vališová, 1994 and many 
others). L. Tóthová (In kol., 2013, p. 164) specifically describes the mother role 
where mother no longer is the person who is exclusively in charge of child care 
during the maternity leave. There are families where it is the father who is on 
maternity leave. The changing role of mother also impacts on the changing role 
of father. With the father’s involvement in education and care for the child, the 
time the child spends with his/her father is extended and there are more 
activities performed by father which have so far been the domain of mother.