The constructed social portrait of specialists working with orphans and children left without parental care (from the perspective of Moscow residents)

Abstract

This article examines the ideas of Moscow residents concerning the image of specialists working with orphans and children left without parental care. The collective image of the specialist is a married, middle-aged religious woman with a higher education and an average income level. She has parenting experience and skills in building communication with children and is characterized by kindness and stress resistance. The specialists working with orphans and children left without parental care should also have a pleasant, attractive appearance (sometimes overweight), look patient and good-natured, have no bad habits, and take care of their health. The conclusion points to the expectations of the survey participants regarding the professional activity of specialists working with orphans, which include a wide range of requirements for the personality of the specialists and their professional skills. Yet, simultaneously, work in orphanages is considered as having little prestige by the respondents.