Family In Lithuania Research Articles

Šeimos politika ir vienų motinų šeimų stigmatizacija

This article investigates the stigmatisation of single-mother families in Lithuania’s family policy through qualitative legal document content analysis and semi-structured interviews with single mothers. It reveals historical policy biases favouring nuclear families, resulting in marginalised single-mother households despite recognising their economic challenges. Analysis of single mothers’ experiences shows how stigmatization negatively impacts these families’ well-being and political representation, hindering rights advocacy.

Identity at the Crossroads of Cultures

The aim of the scientific article “Identity at the Crossroads of Cultures: The Case of the Bilingual Writer Juozapas Albinas Herbaiiauskas” is to analyse, based on empirical and theoretical research methods, the phenomenon of dual identity in the context of the development of nation-states in the first-half of the 20th century, which is determined by historical, cultural and community-related circumstances. The life of the bilingual Lithuanian-Polish, Polish-Lithuanian writer, cultural, public and political figure Juozapas Albinas Herbaiiauskas (Jozef Albin Herbaczewski), the drama and consequences of his identity choices in the context of the very difficult period of Lithuanian-Polish relations is the specific case chosen for such an analysis.
 The Union of Lublin, signed in July 1569, created a unique political entity in Europe at that time – the united Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The original model of the union provided that Lithuanians and Poles would live in the union on equal terms.
 Despite its troubles, this political entity gave Europe its first written constitution and, in the long term, was partly responsible for the formation of a specific cultural and social position known as “Gente Lituanus, natione Polonus” (“Lithuanian by descent, Polish by nationality”). It became common to have a kind of dual identity – Lithuanian-Polish, Polish-Lithuanian.
 However, a few centuries later, the above-mentioned position inherited from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth turned into a problem: perhaps because the political model was only partially successful, the situation changed with the start of the active formation of nation-states. Tensions over borders, territories and geopolitical ambitions led to the need for a clear individual choice. A clearly expressed national identity, including the use of the specific language (Lithuanian or Polish), became an essential indicator of this. Meanwhile, partly due to the influence of the old heritage of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from a socio-cultural point of view, there was still a relatively large number of mixed Lithuanian-Polish and Polish-Lithuanian families in Lithuania and Poland.
 One of the more exceptional cases in this context is that of two brothers, Boleslovas and Juozapas Albinas Herbaiiauskas, who were born in the same family of a Polish father and a Lithuanian mother in the second half of the 19th century, but who chose different identities.
 Boleslovas Herbaiiauskas (Bolesław Herbaczewski) chose a Polish identity. Juozapas Albinas Herbaiiauskas had a more Lithuanian identity. This bilingual Lithuanian-Polish, Polish-Lithuanian writer, cultural figure, promoter of the Lithuanian National Revival, the first lecturer in Lithuanian in the history of the Jagiellonian University in Poland, translator and publicist was one of the brightest and most colourful personalities in Kraków and interwar Kaunas of the early 20th century. His biography, the specifics of his activities, his polemics with his contemporaries, and the challenges he faced in his efforts to merge and preserve both Lithuanian and Polish identities in the context of the tense relations between Lithuania and Poland provide the researcher with a rewarding opportunity to shed light on the extremely complex and multidimensional era of the development of and relations between the Lithuanian and Polish states through the history of one person and his dramatic choices.

Wor(l)ds struggle against wor(l)ds: Public discourse around children's removal from families in Lithuania

AbstractObjectiveThis article aims to identify the different truths perceived and experienced by the four main parties involved in the process of removing children from families. Furthermore, the article examines the potential implications of these individuals' “versions of the truth” on the public discourse.BackgroundThis article offers a unique lens for analyzing situations when children are removed from their homes by employing the principles of the sociology of knowledge and the concept of the Rashomon effect. This combination reveals the different truths, reasons, and motives of all parties involved in situations of removing children from their homes in Lithuania.MethodSeventy‐one semistructured interviews were undertaken with the parties who have direct experience of the process of child removal from families: children, parents, child protection workers (CPWs), and the police.ResultsThe interviews with parents reveal the unexpectedness and unfairness of the removal situation, and lack of institutional support in their efforts to recover the child. Similarly, for children the removal experience was traumatizing, resulting in losing trust in their parents and CPWs. However, in some cases they were glad to be taken away from the neglecting and violent environment. Child protection workers experience strong emotions and face ethical dilemmas during the removal. Nevertheless, they perceive themselves as life‐saving professionals who meet children's best interests.ConclusionsThe research revealed that all four involved parties have their own diverse and competing truths. These truths do not have equal chances to be told, listened to, or to shape the general discourse. They are limited by privacy, professionalism requirements, and feelings of shame and guilt.ImplicationsThe research results have implications for further research, practice, and policy. They offer a methodological approach, combining competing truths, which can guide the daily work of child protection workers. On the policy level, the results of this study might be helpful for professionals in other countries developing or reforming their child protection systems.The ability to openly express one's truth can be seen as a crucial factor, serve as a means of parents' attempts to publicly prove one's suitability to care for children, or CPWs' professionalism in making appropriate decisions.

Framing the Study of Transnational Families in Lithuania

This chapter aims to place the study of Lithuanian transnational families within a broader body of the most recent theoretical frames through which to understand personal lives, family practices and the ways family relationships could be perceived as ‘troubled’. The author provides a short overview of theoretical approaches and research methodologies used at the Department of Sociology at Vilnius University since 2004 to frame the study of transnational families in Lithuania.

COLLABORATION-BASED SUPPORT PROVISION MODELS FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

The article aims to reveal collaboration-based support provision models for a child with special educational needs and his/her family in Lithuania. The qualitative research method used was a semi-structured interview. The participants of the research were special educators and speech therapists providing support to school-age children with special educational needs. The obtained results of the research helped to reveal children support specialists’ attitude towards collaboration-based support provision to a child with special educational needs and his/her family in Lithuania. The research revealed the importance and opportunities of the implementation of interprofessional coordinated support based on interprofessional collaboration, referring to the experience of speech therapists and special educators providing support to a school-age child with special educational needs and his/her family.

„Spisek umarłych krewnych”. Nieznane materiały do obrazu życia religijnego i rodzinnego Tatarów na Litwie w XIX wieku

The article discusses a collection of family notes written in the Tatar circle of the Baranowski family in Lithuania regarding family and religious events from 1857 to 1867, and the practice of reading Surah 36 Yasin of the Quran on behalf of the dead relatives. These documents supplement the picture of Tatar religiosity to the extent that manuscripts do not record, they allow to establish some facts about the construction and operation of the Lukiškės mosque in Vilnius, and above all, bring unknown information about three generations of the Baranowski family and members of several other families important to the history of Tatars in Lithuania.

„Spisek umarłych krewnych”. Nieznane materiały do obrazu życia religijnego i rodzinnego Tatarów na Litwie w XIX wieku

The article discusses a collection of family notes written in the Tatar circle of the Baranowski family in Lithuania regarding family and religious events from 1857 to 1867, and the practice of reading Surah 36 Yasin of the Quran on behalf of the dead relatives. These documents supplement the picture of Tatar religiosity to the extent that manuscripts do not record, they allow to establish some facts about the construction and operation of the Lukiškės mosque in Vilnius, and above all, bring unknown information about three generations of the Baranowski family and members of several other families important to the history of Tatars in Lithuania.

Social practices in providing social services for families in Lithuania: day care centers approach

Despite the considerable number of scientific papers on the importance of interactions between social workers and children in world literature, there are only a few studies and scientific papers in Lithuania that focus on the experience of social workers to interact with vulnerable children. The aim of this article is therefore to analyze the methods of interacting social workers with vulnerable children in daycare centers. Two research questions were formulated: what are the most effective and the least effective methods of interacting with sensitive children in the Vilnius daycare centers. The qualitative methodological approach was applied in the study. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using thematic analysis, which allowed for the separation of three main categories: common interaction methods, the most effective methods, and the least effective methods. The qualitative analysis of the data enabled, in turn, to indicate within the subcategories of the various activities to be able to rule on the effectiveness and functionality of group and individual therapy.

History of some antiquities from the collection of Michał Tyszkiewicz in Gródek

The palace in Gródek, one of the palaces built by the Tyszkiewicz family in Lithuania, was located in present-day Belarus, a dozen kilometres from Minsk. The founder of the building was Count Michał Tyszkiewicz. Built in 1855, the palace remained in the hands of the family until 1918. Among the antique pieces of furniture documented on photographs and paintings are a table and a mirror, today kept in Lithuanian museums. The mirror, decorated with tusks of wild pigs, was offered to King Augustus II on the occasion of his coronation in 1697. In the middle of the 19th century it was purchased by Michał Tyszkiewicz, who then added it to the furnishings of a tent offered as a resting place for Tsar Alexander during a hunting trip organised by Michał Tyszkiewicz and his brother in 1858 near Vilnius. This event was recorded by journalists and artists on some lithographs.

Aspects of categorization of families in Lithuania

Aspects of categorization of families in Lithuania

Contextual factors of family reunification and social adaptation

Purpose – to present contextual factors of destination country and discuss about their role and potential impact for family reunification and family migrants’ social adaptation. Design/methodology/approach – secondary data analysis and qualitative research. Findings – Sociological analysis of ethnic minorities’ and migrants’ social adaptation suggests taking into account the relevance of social context of the receiving society. In order to explain the concept of social context, it is suggested to apply segmented assimilation theory. According to the theory social context of the receiving society consists of three items: migration and migrants’ integration policies implemented by the host country’s government; receiving society’s attitudes and prejudices about immigrants; co- ethnic communities of immigrants and their resources to support newcomers. This paper discusses about the role and potential impact of the first item – migration and migrants’ integration policy for family migrants’ social adaptation. Migration policy is one of the most important contextual factors as it is the first one that migrants face and continually have to deal with their entire life in the destination country. Empirical data of the research, which aim was to reveal patterns of social adaptation of persons reunified with their family members in Lithuania (family migrants), confirms that social context of the host country has an impact for migrants’ social adaptation into receiving society. The analysis of national policies in the context of family reunification and secondary data analysis of the study MIPEX suggest that conditions for family reunification in Lithuania are ‘halfway favourable’, but the status of family migrants is extremely vulnerable. Migration policy and its measures applied for family reunification in Lithuania can be ascribed to the governmental response of ‘passive acceptance’ – there is a possibility to reunify with the family in Lithuania, but the process to receive residence permit is very bureaucratic and long-lasting, and, consequently, limiting migrants’ social adaptation. Research limitations/implications – This study broadens the knowledge of the phenomenon of family reunification in Lithuania and suggests a theoretical insight to study social adaptation of family migrants taking into account the impact of contextual factors of the receiving society by applying the segmented assimilation theory. Originality/Value – The study focuses on the phenomenon of family reunification, which is methodologically and empirically, marginalized in the context of migration research both on national and international level. Besides, it suggests a theoretical insight to study family migrants’ social adaptation taking into account the impact of contextual factors of the receiving society by applying segmented assimilation theory. Keywords: immigration; family reunification, social adaptation, contextual factors, migration policy. Research type: research paper JEL classification: J6 - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers K37 - Immigration Law

The role of complex social services for the children from families at risk

The social assistance for social risk families in Lithuania is provided by child protection agencies, social welfare departments, family support and crisis centres, pedagogical-psychological services, care homes, various educational institutions and NGO's. One specific form of social support services for social risk families is called Children Day Care Centres (CDC), whose activities are based on a systematic set of measures designed to protect the social interests of children, to ensure social security and realize the basic needs. The aim of this research is to analyse the activities of CDC's in the context of helping to meet the needs of children at risk, who are also sometimes described in scientific literature as disadvantaged children. It is obvious that children growing within social risk families often do not have or have insufficient necessary skills-to communicate, to discover, to create. This significantly complicates the realization of needs of those children growing in families at risk or so called disadvantaged families. The social services in day care centres are organized for the best interests of such families. These institutions aim at giving the opportunities to meet the needs of children by creating the conditions to learn, create, spend their leisure time, and engage in a favourite activity.

Vienų motinų su vaikais šeimos Lietuvoje: demografinės ir socioekonominės charakteristikos

Šiuo straipsniu siekiama atskleisti vienų motinų su nepilnamečiais vaikais šeimų Lietu­voje paplitimo, demografines ir socioekonomines charakteristikas. Straipsnis parengtas remiantis 2011 m. Lietuvos gyventojų ir būstų surašymo individualaus lygmens duomenų analize, todėl suteikia naujos em­pirinės informacijos apie šio tipo šeimas. Nustatyta, kad Lietuvoje tik su vienu iš tėvų (tik su juo arba ir su juo bei kitais asmenimis) gyvena beveik trečdalis vaikų ir, palyginti su ES, šis rodiklis yra labai didelis. Tyrimas atskleidė, kad didelė vienų vaikus auginančių motinų dalis (trečdalis) yra neįregistravusios iš­tuokos. Gauti rezultatai atkreipia dėmesį į mažo išsilavinimo vienų motinų su vaikais šeimų ekonominį pažeidžiamumą, priklausomybę nuo socialinės paramos sistemos ir ypač į niekada netekėjusias šios grupės motinas, kurių net pusės pagrindinis pragyvenimo šaltinis yra pašalpos.

The burden of children asthma through the impact on family in Lithuania

The burden of children asthma through the impact on family in Lithuania

Work incentives across the income distribution and for model families in Lithuania: 2005–2013

ABSTRACTThe aim of this paper is to evaluate the impact of cash social benefits on work incentives across the income distribution and among selected model family types in Lithuania. The analysis of work incentives was carried out for 2005–2013 based on a combination of measures estimated using the EUROMOD tax–benefit microsimulation model. The analysis revealed high disincentives to work at the bottom of the income distribution, dominated by the effect of cash social benefits compared to taxes or social insurance contributions. A strong trade-off between benefit adequacy and work incentives is built into the design of the national cash benefit system, particularly social assistance. The challenge for policy design is thus to encourage active labour market participation among low earners without eroding the minimum income protection floor.

Wpływ migracji zarobkowej na trwałość rodziny

Autorzy w artykule analizują wplyw migracji zarobkowej na trwalośc rodziny na Litwie. Wyrazenie „migracja” oznacza wyjazd do innego kraju z zamiarem pozostania w nim na stale lub nie krocej niz 12 miesiecy. Miedzynarodowa Organizacja Migracji podaje, ze w 2014 r. na Litwie 36,6 tys. osob zadeklarowalo wyjazd z kraju, natomiast w 2015 r. – 38 tys. osob. Ludzie migrują ze wzgledow ekonomicznych, braku za­bez­pie­czenia spolecznego, braku zaufania do panstwa, ponizających postaw pracodawcow wzgledem pracownikow oraz lepszych mozliwości pracy za granicą.

Subjective Definition of the Family in Lithuania: Evidence Based on Qualitative Interviews

The aim of the paper is to present research results on subjective understanding of family among population of Lithuania. The research objectives are to explore the criteria used in defining family, identify persons named as family members and non-family members based on these criteria. The research hypotheses include the following: (1) the list of family members not necessarily include kin only, persons beyond the nuclear and extended families could be named as family members also, and visa versa, persons from nuclear and extended families could be named as non-family members; (2) registered marriage and blood are not the only criteria in subjective definition of the family in Lithuania any more. The test of the hypotheses was based on 60 in-depth qualitative interviews carried out in June – August, 2012 under the research project “Trajectories of Family Models and Social Networks: Intergenerational Perspective”. The research results showed that blood criteria is still important in the definition of the nuclear family of procreation and the nuclear family of orientation, what concerns children and parents. Marriage criteria is important when defining the nuclear family of procreation and what concerns spouses. What concerns other persons, related to kin and non-kin relationship, other criteria play a more important role: mutual help and support, emotional closeness and attachment, close emotional bonds in a certain period of life (childhood, school years, etc.), common activities and interests, life under the same roof, living in a nearby place, belonging to a certain formal or informal community and/or other investment into relationships, etc.

Genetic Variation and Phenotypic Plasticity of Quercus robur Populations and Open-pollinated Families in Lithuania

The purpose of the study was to estimate among- and within-population variation for juvenile growth and for growth rhythm traits, bud flushing and leaf colouring, in open-pollinated families of Quercus robur L. from six Lithuanian populations under different environmental conditions. Assessments were done in the nursery up to 4 yrs, and after replanting in three field trials at the age of 6 yrs. A highly significant population effect was found for bud flushing. Large family variance components were estimated for bud flushing and height. The family×site interaction was significant and more pronounced for growth cessation and height than for bud flushing. Depending on the trait, from 13 to 33% of families contributed significantly to the family×site interaction. Strongly significant site×population interaction was estimated only for bud flushing. Families with early bud flushing were taller, although the correlation was weak. Correlations between family means in bud flushing and bud flushing of parent trees varied from 0.53 to 0.60. Large CVA estimates for the adaptive traits suggest that species have a potential to adapt to environmental changes that may occur from global warming and indicate good perspectives for gene conservation and tree breeding when using Multiple Population Breeding System.

TOWARD A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORK OF EMMANUEL LEVINAS

Neither the life nor the work of Emmanuel Levinas, the remarkable French Jewish philosopher and talmudic commentator, fit easily into customary categories. Levinas, who died in Paris in late 1995 just a few weeks shy of his ninetieth birthday, was born in Lithuania and emigrated to France, becoming a French citizen in 1931.1 While still in his early thirties Levinas seemed poised to enter a promising career as a philosophy professor. Then the Second World War broke out. Drafted into the French army, Levinas was soon captured and, in view of his status as a French soldier, was sent off to spend the next five years in Nazi prison camps. When the war ended he returned to Paris and soon found out that his family in Lithuania had been slaughtered. Levinas rebuilt his life and, some fifteen years later, finally began that promising academic career. He had in the meantime taken on an important role in Paris’ growing postwar Jewish community as the head of a training institute for Jewish educators; he also spent many years learning Talmud with a noted teacher.2 Levinas continued to participate actively in Jewish communal life in Paris both during his academic career and long after he retired from the university in 1976. Levinas’ rich and complex life spanned many worlds. His work similarly resists disciplinary pigeonholes. He wrote with great acuity and mastery about philosophy, ethics, religion, literature, aesthetics, contemporary culture, and Jewish texts. His philosophical work is among the most important in the twentieth century. His several volumes of talmudic commentaries and his collection of essays on Jewish ideas and issues are also highly regarded.3 His influence not only in philosophy and in Jewish thought, but in the humanities and social sciences as well, has been and continues to be significant. While scholars have generally acknowledged the exceptional nature of Levinas’ life and the diversity of his work, they have been reluctant for the most part to admit what follows from this—that in order to understand Levinas’ unique project as a whole, it may well be necessary to move beyond academic models and the disciplinary divisions they reflect. This does not, however, mean discarding academic procedures and distinctions; Levinas’ work demands not something less than