Mid and late teen students’ representations about modern men and women

Abstract

Relevance. The study relevance is determined by the need to investigate the processes of gender socialization in the mid and late teens in the modern socio-cultural situation characterized by erosion of traditional gender stereotypes and transformation of basic representations about the content of men and women’s social roles.

Objective. The study had its purpose to explore and compare the boys’ and girls’ representations about modern men and women.

Methods. Data collection was carried out using the method of free descriptions, content analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics, Student’s t-test, r-Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, and share difference reliability criterion. Comparative historical analysis was carried out using the data obtained in the 1980s.

Sample. The sample included 353 high school and college students aged 16–19 years (161 boys and 192 girls).

Results. The initial hypothesis about the coexistence of both traditional and modern gender models among today’s teenagers has been confirmed only in relation to their ideas of the modern woman. When describing her, both boys and girls rely on traditional stereotypes of femininity as well as modern ideas (androgyny, egalitarianism). Modern man is still viewed and evaluated by both boys and girls through the prism of traditional masculinity stereotypes. Girls’ representations about modern men and women are less rigid and not as stereotypical as those of boys. They reflect to a greater extent the transformation of rigidgender stereotypes taking place in the modern society. Modern boys’ and girls’ representations about men and women are in many ways similar to the representations of their peers of the Soviet era. The differences are associated with less attention to family roles and a greater interest in appearance, self-expression, success, and mental health.

Conclusions. Despite the transformation of gender stereotypes taking place in the modern society, boys’ and girls’ representations about men and women are still based mainly on traditional ideas of masculinity/femininity.

References

Andreeva, A.D. (2021). Attitude to teaching in different periods of development of Russian school education. Kul’turno-istoricheskaya psikhologiya (Cultural and historical psychology), 17 (1), 84–92. https://doi.org/10.17759/chp.2021170112 (In Russ.).

Burelomova, A.S. (2013). Sotsial’no-psikhologicheskie osobennosti tsennostei sovremennykh podrostkov: Diss. ... kand. psikhol. nauk. (Socio-psychological features of the values of modern adolescents). Ph.D. (Psychology). Moscow. (In Russ.).

Vizgina, A.V., Pantileev, S.R. (2001). Manifestation of personal characteristics in selfdescriptions of men and women. Voprosy psikhologii (Issues of psychology), 3, 91‒100. (In Russ.).

Geodakyan, V.A. (1965). The role of the sexes in the transmission and transformation of genetic information. Problemy peredachi informatsii (Problems of information transmission), 1, 105‒112. (In Russ.).

Danilova, E.E. (2019). Content and dynamics of motivational preferences of modern primary school children and younger teenagers. Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie (Psychological science and education), 24 (4), 51–61. (In Russ.).

Ilyin, E.P. (2010). Gender and gender. St. Petersburg: Peter. (In Russ.).

Kalachikova, O.N., Gruzdeva, M.A. (2019). Gender stereotypes in the modern family: women and men. Zhenshchina v rossiiskom obshchestve (A woman in Russian society), 1, 64‒76. https://doi.org/10.21064/WinRS.2019.1.6 (In Russ.).

Karabanova, O.A., Zakharova, E.I., Burmenskaya, G.V., Almazova, O.V., Dolgikh, A.G., Molchanov, S.V., Sadovnikova, T.Yu. (2018). Features of the value sphere of girls with different attitudes to the parental position of the mother at the stage of entering adulthood. Vestnik Moskovskogo gosudarstvennogo oblastnogo universiteta. Seriya: Psikhologicheskie nauki (Bulletin of the Moscow State Regional University. Series: Psychological Sciences), 4, 24–37. https://doi.org/10.18384/2310-7235-2018-4-24-37 (In Russ.).

Kletsina, I.S., Vekilova, S.A. (2020). Gender relations in the Russian family: transformation trends. Zhenshchina v rossiiskom obshchestve (A woman in Russian society), 3, 78–91. https://doi.org/10.21064/WinRS.2020.3.7 (In Russ.).

Kletsina, I.S., Ioff e, E.V. (2019). Norms of female behavior: traditional and modern models. Zhenshchina v rossiiskom obshchestve (A woman in Russian society), 3, 72–90. https://doi.org/10.21064/WinRS.2019.3.6 (In Russ.).

Klyuchko, O.I., Chekalina, A.A., Ioff e, E.V., Erofeeva, M.A., Sukhareva, N.F., Samosadova, E.V. (2020). Gender transformations in the representations of Russian student youth. Zhenshchina v rossiiskom obshchestve (A woman in Russian society), 1, 55–69. https://doi.org/10.21064/WinRS.2020.1.5 (In Russ.).

Kon, I.S. (2009). A man in a changing world. Moscow: Time. (In Russ.).

Kon, I.S. (2011). Three in One: Sexual, Gender and family revolutions. Zhurnal sotsiologii i sotsial’noi antropologii (Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology), 14 (1), 51‒65. (In Russ.).

Konshina, T.M., Pryazhnikov, N.S., Sadovnikova, T.Y. (2018). Personal professional perspective of modern Russian older teenagers: value-semantic aspect. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 14. Psikhologiya (Moscow university psychology bulletin. Series 14. Psychology), 3, 37‒59. https://doi.org/10.11621/vsp.2018.03.37 (In Russ.).

Mayorova-Shcheglova, S.N., Mitrofanova, S.Yu. (2020). Early adulthood or infantilization: the paradox of the eventfulness of modern childhood. Vestnik Sankt-Peterburgskogo universiteta. Sotsiologiya (Bulletin of St. Petersburg University. Sociology), 13 (1), 25–39. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu12.2020.102 (In Russ.).

Youth and politics: current challenges (2017). VTSIOM. URL: file:///C:/Users/Admin/Desktop/Ценностные%20ориентации/2017-05-22–ВЦИОМ%20-Ценности%20молодежи. pdf (review date: 12.04.2023) (In Russ.).

Orekh, E.A. (2016). The phenomenon of lukism and the possibilities of its sociological analysis. Sotsiologicheskii zhurnal (Sociological Journal), 22 (3), 67–81. https://doi.org/10.19181/socjour.2016.22.3.4585 (In Russ.).

Puchkova, E.B., Temnova, L.V., Sorokoumova, E.A., Kurnosova, M.G. (2019). Interrelation of values and career orientations of modern teenagers. Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie (Psychological Science and Education) 24 (5), 27‒36. https://doi.org/10.17759/pse.2019240503 (In Russ.).

Selivanova, Z.K. (2017). About life goals and professional preferences of older teenagers. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya (Sociological research), 5, 51–56. (In Russ.).

Sergomanov, P.A., Andreeva, A.D., Danilova, E.E. (2020). Russian teenagers of the late USSR and modern Russian society. Voprosy psikhologii (Issues of psychology), 66 (4), 40‒53. (In Russ.).

Serikov, G.V. (2018). Attractive appearance as an “instrumental value”, its significance in the youth environment. Psikholog (Psychologist), 6, 21–31. https://doi.org/10.25136/2409-8701.2018.6.27934 (In Russ.).

Sillaste, G.G. (2019). Social transitions and the formation of a new gender order. Zhenshchina v rossiiskom obshchestve (A woman in Russian society), 2, 3‒16. https://doi.org/10.21064/WinRS.2019.2.1 (In Russ.).

Stepanova, L.G. (2010). Features of the formation of gender identity of modern boys and girls in the context of socio-psychological development of personality. Psikhologo-pedagogicheskie issledovaniya (Psychological and pedagogical research), 2. (Retrieved from http://psyedu.ru/journal/2010/2/Stepanova.phtml) (review date: 27.02.2023) (In Russ.).

Tikhomandritskaya, O.A., Melnikova, O.T. (2018). Study of the problem of the crisis of masculinity in the gender picture of the world of modern youth by the focus group method. Sotsial’naya psikhologiya i obshchestvo (Social psychology and society), 9 (3), 187‒196. https://doi.org/10.17759/sps.2018090318 (In Russ.).

Tolstykh, N.N. (2015). Modern growing up. Konsul’tativnaya psikhologiya i psikhoterapiya (Counseling psychology and psychotherapy), 4, 7–34. (In Russ.).

Value orientations of Russian youth and the implementation of state youth policy: research results: monograph (2017). State University of Management. In S.V. Chuev (Eds.). Moscow: GUU Publishing House.

Chernova, Zh.V. (2019). Incomplete gender revolution. Monitoring obshchestvennogo mneniya: Ekonomicheskie i sotsial’nye peremeny (Monitoring public opinion: Economic and social changes), 2, 222–242. https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2019.2.10 (In Russ.).

Yufereva, T.I. (1985. Images of men and women in the minds of teenagers. Voprosy psikhologii (Issues of psychology), 3, 84‒90. (In Russ.).

Billari, F., Esping-Andersen, G. (2015. Re-theorizing family demographic change. Population and Development Review, 41 (1), 1‒31.

Esping-Andersen, G. (2009). Th e Incomplete Revolution: Adapting to Women’s New Roles. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Hochschild, A.R. (2003). Th e Second Shift . New York: Penguin Books.