dying patriarchal system was dealt
its final blow with the elimination of inheritance through
nationalization of industry and commerce and collectivization of
agriculture. After the patrimony had been eliminated, a major incentive
for submission to the patriarch had disappeared.

Another factor that contributed to the end of the patriarchal family and
to the end of parental authoritarianism was the government's appeal to
youth's desire for independence. Young people are taught to believe that
they are the foundation of the new Bulgaria and that their elders'
traditional ways are outmoded and should be discarded. In this way a
generation gap has been created, and youths wanting to escape parental
influence can count on the state for support. Their escape has been
facilitated through the expansion of educational facilities, the
expansion of employment opportunities resulting from economic and
bureaucratic expansion, and by the many youth organizations and youth
activities--all of which enable young people to spend much time away
from home and act independently of their parents.

The role of women, which had begun to change in the 1930s, was greatly
altered under the influence of ideology and of economic realities. In
social doctrine and law, women are considered equal to men and are
continually urged to demand their rights in the home and in the
community. They have also gained considerable independence of movement
through the expanded employment opportunities available to them in a
developing economy. In 1968, 80 percent of employable women worked
outside the home. A large percentage of them worked because of the
necessity to supplement the family income rather than through choice;
nevertheless, the fact that they do work outside the home has altered
the pattern of family life and the relationships of family members.
Working mothers must leave their young children in state-operated
nurseries or with relatives and thereby relinquish much of their
influence in molding the children into adults. Evidence indicates that
few mothers like to leave young children in nurseries, preferring to
leave them in the care of trusted relatives or friends. Fathers appear
to be playing a greater role in the raising of children than they did in
the traditional family.

Housekeeping is still considered to be entirely or predominantly the
responsibility of women, whether they work or not. The working woman
spends much time every day after w