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Meeting new people |
It is more difficult to make new friends in the Czech culture. One meets new people through work and clubs but deep friendships rarely result after a short time. The most common way of meeting new people is by introduction by a mutual friend. Even then a friendship (i.e. not acquaintance) only forms after a considerable period of time. It is rare to meet people in public places (with the exception of bars). People will be surprised if you strike up a conversation with them but will go along. |
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Congregations and Professional Groups |
Eastern European cultures, including the Czechs are often thought of as more collectivist than cultures west of Prague. This is a very deceptive label, however. Compared with Western Europeans and Americans, Czechs are much less likely to congregate and form professional or other interest groups. That is not to say that such groups are not common but rather, they are not as prominent in people's lives. For example, there is no true equivalent to American chambers of commerce or country clubs. Business and pleasure are more strictly separated. This has two reasons. One is the time it takes to form full-fledged friendships and reluctance to meet new people. There is no equivalent in the Czech language to the English term networking. The other reason is the 40 years of communism. Most groups had a political context and participation was mandatory. Professional and other interest groups had to be careful about not overstepping the mark. This resulted in general dislike for working as a group. |
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Sports and Other Collective Efforts |
Similar situation holds for joint collective efforts. An interesting example are the woes of an American coaching a Czech amateur baseball team. While hailing Czechs as excellent athletes, he said that their major weakness has been the ability to play as a team. Therefore, they may be defeated by a team with inferior players working well together. |
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Family |
Family ties are closer, mostly because children often live quite close to their parents. Children are often forced to live with their parents even after they marry because it is virtually impossible for them to find an apartment. Another factor is the low mobility of Czechs. It is still rather exceptional for a Czech family to relocate because of a job opportunity. |
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Men vs. women |
Feminism hasn't gained wider popularity among Czech women, perhaps because it received negative publicity as a radical movement. Also the situation of Czech women differs, on the surface, from that of American feminists of the 60s in that women commonly work in a wide array of professions. Also, the Czech language, because of its structure, is not particularly sexist. Another important point is the reluctance of Czechs after the fall of communism to congregate in organizations. However, the situation of women is far from ideal. They are still expected to fulfill their role as mothers and caretakers of their families and on those grounds it may be more difficult for them to enter into certain professions. There are only few women in politics, high medicine and top managerial positions. On the other hand, women have traditionally worked in education (all levels) and research. |