What makes a good father? Ideals and practices in late socialist Russia This article investigates fatherhood ideals and practices in late Soviet Russia, 1960–1989. For the theoretical basis, dominant ideals on masculinity and fatherhood have been derived from the rich but predominantly Western research literature of the past three decades. These are used as guiding tools in examining the research material for this study: the monthly magazine Semia i shkola. Zhurnal dlia roditelei (Family and School; Journal for Parents) and eleven in-depth interviews with men in Russia on their memories of fatherhood in the 1960s–1980s. The research questions are: What did the ideal image of fatherhood look like in this period? What remembered practices do respondents communicate in interviews, and how do these relate to dominant public/official ideals of the time? Are there differences in the emphasis on various aspects of fatherhood ideals/practices between public discourses and the accounts given by these men? The interview narratives yield a multifaceted picture, with both coinciding and contradictory representations of the respondents’ ideal images, on the one hand, and remembered practices, on the other. Possible explanations are then discussed. In conclusion, Soviet Russian fatherhood is tentatively contextualized within the framework of research results on Western fatherhood.

This article deals with civil society organizations active in the field of family policy and demographic issues in contemporary Russia, using Michel Foucault’s concepts of biopolitics and governmentality. More specifically, so called “daddy-schools” that have emerged in and around Saint Petersburg since 2008, are studied, using interviews and documents. The analysis shows that the organizations work as a complement to the state but have also been able to influence policy, alter legislation and challenge the established assumptions and governmentality of the Russian state concerning parenthood, the “good” father and how to deal with the ongoing demographic crisis and increase fertility.

This paper will deal with civil society organizations active in the field of family policy and demographic issues in contemporary Russia, using Michel Foucault’s concepts of biopolitics and governmentality. More specifically, so called “daddy-schools” that have emerged in and around Saint Petersburg since 2008, are studied, using interviews and documents. A preliminary analysis shows that the organizations work as complements to the state but have also influenced policy, altered legislation and challenged established assumptions and the governmentality of the Russian state concerning parenthood, the “good” father and how to deal with the ongoing demographic crisis.