The role of father and mother in formation of work values (based on interviews with Russian universities` students)

Socialization theories assign an important role to parents in transmitting values to subsequent generations. Existing studies reveal the transmission of basic life values from parents to children, although the results differ regarding the roles of father and mother in the formation of work values. This study is aimed at increasing knowledge about the nature of transmission of attitudes to work along the maternal and paternal lines. Based on the analysis of 38 interviews with university students aged 18 to 24 with work experience, conclusions were made regarding the explicit two-directional role of father in shaping work values, as well as the multifaceted influence of mother on worldview and her implicit effect on ideas about the significant characteristics of work. In two-parent families, the substantive meaning of work and intrinsic work values are more likely to be transmitted within the framework of communication between the parent most involved in the labor market (often father), who, in addition to his professional activities, manages to build trusting and emotionally charged relationships with a child, a potential future participant of the labor market, and also to convey a positive image of interest for profession and its social significance. Fatherhood with less involvement in communication with children and motherhood with a strong commitment to work (usually because of raising a child alone) involuntarily deprive a child of an orientation toward a meaningful approach to work. These theses are theoretically substantiated by the approach of N. Fligstein and D. McAdam, who stressed the importance of interpersonal interactions and social skills in the context of the transfer of significant meanings and fundamental ideas about various aspects of life between people.