Men's welfare beyond the state: Working fathers' experiences of childcare within the family in Soviet Ukraine

This chapter analyses men’s welfare through the lens of their fathering experiences in Soviet Ukraine during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. On the basis of analyses of 16 life history interviews, I show that men struggled to find a niche in childcare, especially at the early stages. These duties were dominated by their wives and their parents (in-law). As men had to work fulltime, they found it challenging to combine these duties with childcare. There were no state policies to support them, and parental (in-law) support benefited the welfare of mothers more than fathers. When parents (in-law) were not available, men shared childcare duties in more equal ways, and tried to ensure the welfare of their wives. This chapter argues that men struggled to combine childcare with work because neither the support of parents (in-law) nor that of the state – two main sources of personal welfare provision – prioritised men’s welfare, nor aided them in spending time with their children. Some men regretted these experiences of fathering and became more involved as grandfathers.