Бащинството като ценност и практика през призмата на родителския отпуск
Fatherhood as a Value and Practice through the Lens of Parental Leave

Summary/Abstract: The text addresses the subject of “fatherhood” by briefly tracing the evolution of the phenomenon – from the “father-owner” of the agricultural revolution to the “reflexive father”, a model largely representative of the Western world. The emphasis on fatherhood as a social construct rather than an inherently biological fact, combined with an outline of the historical context of dominant models, establishes the macro-framework within which the specific Bulgarian case is situated. Subsequently, the text focuses on empirical research, analysing data from a study conducted in Bulgaria between December 2024 and January 2025. This study was carried out within the project “Policies and Practices of Parental Leave in Bulgaria”, executed by IPHS–BAS and funded by the Bulgarian National Science Fund. The data analysis reveals ambivalent positions among respondents regarding both their value orientations and their practices. This ambivalence is interpreted as the result of a clash between different models of fatherhood currently in a state of transition. Based on the identified value beliefs, perceptions, and practices within Bulgarian society, alongside shifts in labour market conditions, employer attitudes, and updates to the national legislative framework, the article concludes that a new trend in the organization of fatherhood has emerged.

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