In this article the author considers the topic of death, dying and funeral rites in Czech society in the broader European and historical context. In the first part, she presents the social-science conception of the taboo on death in early twentiethcentury European society and then the gradual lifting of that taboo owing mainly to an interest in dying, which appeared from about the 1960s. She also outlines developments in funeral rites, typical of which is the transition from the traditionally Christian (particularly Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox) laying of the dead body into the ground to cremation and the scattering of ashes. Against the background of these developments in Western society she then considers the situation in Czech society, which, owing to forty years of Communist rule and the high degree of secularization, was rather different from Western Europe. Indeed, questions related to dying and hospice care were generally not dealt with by Czechs till the 1990s. The great mistrust of churches has led to less than half of all present-day funeral ceremonies including a religious component. Moreover, Czech society has lost the awareness that organizing a funeral ceremony is a necessity for both the deceased and the bereaved. Consequently, about a third of all cremations in this country take place without any real ceremony.
The changes in funeral practices in Czech society which occured during the 20th century were more significant than those that took place during the whole of the second millenium. Traditional Roman Catholic Christian funerals which were performed at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries are described as a starting point from which the focus moves to a study of the major changes which took place from then onwards.
The article provides information on parental leave taken by fathers in the Czech Republic in comparison with the situation in other European countries. Above all, a concrete assessment based on the experience of families in which men have already taken advantage of parental leave are described; only briefly are mentioned attitudes of Czech parents generally towards parental leave taken by fathers. It introduces life-style of Czech families with fathers using parental leave on the basis of conducted qualitative research. The main stress is put on the actors´ point of view, which is presented in relation with broader social context, especially in the field of gender roles and reconciliation of family and work life. As an example, one case study was presented to point out the trends of new fatherhood and life-style of the families where father is taking parental leave. It has been found that families in which fathers have used parental leave for some period of time appreciate the experience on the whole.