Nowe oblicza konfliktu ról wśród młodych Polek i Polaków w świetle łączenia rodzicielstwa ze studiami i pracą zawodową
The New Faces of Role Conflicts among Young Polish Polish in the Context of Combining Parenting with University Education and Employment

Summary/Abstract: This article discusses combining parenthood and the practice of parenting with university education and work. The situation of experiencing the overlap of the roles of a mother/father, an employee, and a student constitutes a specific exemplification of challenges and role conflicts experienced by young people who seek to manage social contexts that are mutually competitive. These young people’s situation results from the broader social context wherein pursuing university degrees is extremely typical of young Polish men and women, while the student population encompasses both parents and people with established careers. The empirical material used for this article stems from a qualitative study conducted in 2017 and 2018. The material for the article comprises 30 analysed interviews with students and alumni who – at the time of the research – were combining parenthood with both work and university education. The respondents had at least one child aged 0 to 15 whilst actively pursuing a degree. The results show the existence of role conflicts and reveal that the conflicts vary and depend on social factors such as gender, social support, and institutional assistance. The role conflicts are strictly tied to the ‘greedy institutions’ notion applied to education, parenting, and employment. A certain normalization of combining all three aspects within a single biographical timeline was observed, with a concurrent outcome of respondents having strong desires to be successful across all those fields.

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