Families in Times of Crisis: Narratives of Family and Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Slovakia

Abstract

Societal narratives about families, ranging from individual discourses to public discourse, do not always reflect the reality of family lives. This is also valid for Narratives of Return (NoR), which propose a return to a “natural” family order and lean on conservative ideological values. However, such a notion does not rely on the actual past and present social practice but tries to reshape it. It deliberately omits the variety of existing forms and relationships present among families. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia, many processes, patterns, and problems in society became more visible. The crisis put particular pressure on families and intergenerational relationships, mainly regarding care. This paper aims to analyse the micro-narratives about families, relationships, and care juxtaposed to the actual practice during the pandemic. We rely on the data from a two-year-long ethnographic research using online surveys, ethnographic interviews, and autobiographical texts. We compare these data with political discourse and its presentation in media, where we looked for aspects of NoR. It seems that the political discourse was primarily focused on securing public health but was at the same time oriented towards particular problems (such as natality or abortions), constructing an ideological narrative with specific family structures in mind (in accordance with NoR). Simultaneously, it has put older adults at the forefront as a uniform social group which is vulnerable and dependent on others, omitting their function as caregivers of the youngest generation in the family.