Understanding of non-traditional fatherhood in contememporary Lithuania: analysis of qualitative interviewews

While examining the fatherhood in Lithuania experience of different parental statuses or their position in society are rarely confronted. In the article fatherhood is discussed in the new perspective: using theories of understanding the other and qualitative research. This article aims to reveal the issues of father’s social status from the perspective of understanding the other. The analysis is based on 11 semi-structured qualitative interviews with fathers’ aged 27–44 and having children of preschool or primary school age. In order to analyse otherness, „other“ fathers are selected by family status: divorced, unmarried, but living together fathers, „other“ by biological status: stepfathers, adoptive fathers; and „other“ in terms of heteronormativity – non-traditional sexual orientation, bisexual fathers. In the presentation of findings T. Luckmann and P.L. Berger social construction approach is used