FATHERLY LOVE: CONTRADICTIO IN ADJECTO?

This article explores contemporary transformations of fatherhood and fathering. Particular attention is paid to the concept of “fatherly love,” reflecting both the growing awareness of the significance of emotional warmth and openness in the father-child relationship within the context of social science development and the recognition of love as a profound dimension of the father’s experience in a non-scientific, social discourse developed by men and fathers themselves. The article presents the results of a sociological study dedicated to the exploration of the phenomenon of “engaged fatherhood” in contemporary Russian society. The findings reveal the complex process by which men are re-evaluating their own experiences of fatherhood, as well as the experiences of building relationships in their families of origin, leading them to recognize the significance of fatherly love as a fundamental foundation of parent-child relationships. The article concludes with the following points: 1. “Fatherly love” is one of the most important effects of the so-called “fatherhood revolution,” expressed in the transformation of the institution of fatherhood in the last quarter of the 20th and the first quarter of the 21st centuries. 2. “Fatherly love” is a concept rapidly entering both scientific and social discourse. 3. Legitimizing the concept of “fatherly love” within contemporary social sciences, and its gradual and conscious inclusion in scientific discussions, could positively contribute to curbing the trend of “father absence” in modern society. The concept of “fatherly love,” therefore, can, among other things, serve as an effective resource for “shaking up” binary-defining categorical schemes of emotionality and empowering men themselves to understand and embrace emotional warmth as one of the most important dimensions of their own masculine identity.