| Abstract: | In this article are described some basic patterns of employed parents' life and the social and psychological factors which prevent changing their prevailing ways of life. Most parents with children up to the age of 15 (more than ninety percent) are regularly employed. In terms of formal financial resources not all dual-earner families are above the social security level. Parents try to improve their living conditions in the following ways: all household work is done by family members (mainly mothers), they do different kinds of paid informal work and resolve their housing problems by building on their own with the help of relatives and bank credits. During all stages of life women are more burdened with informal work than men. Activities connected with the mass media and/or activities which have utilitarian value are the main preoccupations of parents in their free time. Most parents have no choice concerning their employment status and even the possibilities of choosing among various free time activities are quite limited. |
