Gender stereotypes in men's glossy magazines. Kalashnikova A.E.

Glossy magazines are one of the ways of information pressure. Rough, brutal men's magazines against fashionable and whimsical women's publications.

This study is devoted to the gender aspect of the presentation of the text in men's and women's magazines. In our work, we understand the text as polycode, that is, as a system of verbal and non-verbal sign units. Therefore, the subject of our comparative analysis was not only lexical, morphological and syntactic features, but also the genre and thematic originality of journals, as well as visual codes.

It was important for us to find out if the gender of the journal authors and their readers affects the submission of materials. The concept of "gender" appeared in psychology to denote the socio-psychological status of a person in terms of masculinity or femininity. The consciousness of people plays an important role in the development and maintenance of the gender system. The construction of the gender consciousness of individuals occurs through the dissemination and preservation of social and cultural stereotypes, norms, regulations, the violation of which is followed by a number of punitive sanctions [Pospelova, 2004]. Thus, gender stereotypes often act as social norms. Obedience to gender norms is forced by normative pressure, the effect of which is that a person tries to conform to gender roles in order to obtain social approval and avoid social censure, and informational pressure (social information, literature, television). Glossy magazines are one of the ways of information pressure. Therefore, it was important for us to find out whether the target audience of magazines corresponds to their real readers. The material for the study was the popular magazines MAXIM and Cosmopolitan.

To begin with, let's compare the genre and thematic originality of magazines. The topics of women's conversations are determined by the social role of the speakers: usually it is the upbringing of children, cooking, fashion. Cosmopolitan follows this tradition in many ways. The magazine has sections on fashion, personal care, relationships with men, diet and cooking. However, the target audience of the magazine is still too young for children, so articles on this aspect of a woman's life are the exception rather than the rule for Cosmo. But a young active girl is interested in a career, health issues, sex, travel, social events, celebrity life. These topics are given a lot of space in the journal. Moreover, these headings are numerous and are repeated from issue to issue.

There is no such strict rubrication in MAXIM. There are a number of regular headings (10 versus 35 in Cosmo), while the rest of the articles are determined by the general theme of the issue. For example, several issues were devoted to world religions: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism - or the World Cup.

As we can see, men are more interested in the events of the outside world than introspection, which fits into the framework of gender stereotypes: a woman is shown as such a “domestic cat”, prone to reflection and dreams, despite existing ambitions, and a man is positioned as an indomitable seeker, thirsty for adventure, even if these adventures end in magazine pages.

Next, we analyzed the lexical features of the texts. The first thing we noticed was the great normativity and literary language of the women's magazine. Since it is the woman who traditionally takes care of the upbringing of children, this leaves an imprint on the way she speaks. Women's speech is less saturated with neologisms and terms: they are used only in cases where it is impossible to describe any phenomenon without them. “Due to the high content of flavonoids (antioxidants), bitter chocolate has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system. The fact is that flavonoids neutralize free radicals and fight aging, this was recently proven by Italian scientists.” . And, of course, rude and abusive expressions are unacceptable in the women's edition. However, in MAXIM we often come across such words. “First, the Chinese ran along the border with posters depicting Mao Zedong, menacingly looking down. In response, Soviet soldiers in front of each portrait put together a temporary toilet without a back wall. However, ours failed to soak the enemy in the toilet: the Chinese quickly caught on and replaced the images of Mao with posters with bare asses. . In addition, men often use terminological vocabulary in everyday speech and easily operate with new words, although this is often part of a game with the reader: an attempt to put him in an awkward position due to ignorance of the term used. “And here, respected Lev Rubinshtein, take it and declare: glossy magazines are the conductor of the official ideology. They say that today consumerism has taken the place of big ideas, and magazines are doing just that, that they identify happiness with the possession of things and call for focusing on the consumption of life's goods. . As a rule, footnotes with an explanation are given for such words.

Another characteristic feature of female speech is the use of evaluative suffixes, to which we found many confirmations on the pages of Cosmo. “Having accidentally met him a couple of months later on the boulevard in an embrace with Baltika and a new girlfriend, I did not experience either awe or a desire to get a heavy frying pan out of my pocket.” . We have not come across such examples. The author's attitude to the subject of speaking is manifested either through the context or through the use of words with a given ironic semantics. "History has preserved only one example, when the U-2 pilot emerged victorious from the fight with the Fritz fighter." .

Women are very emotional, which results in the use of affective vocabulary and words that describe the psychological state of a person. “My husband is terribly fond of cars”; “Vaska is terribly athletic, everything attaches to me, and then he dreamed of putting me on alpine skiing.” . “She found out she was pregnant when she was already three months old. There was hysteria. There was not enough money for an abortion. I was not in the city, and she hated Igor then ”; “All grievances were forgotten, Julia forgave the villain, and the relationship began anew.” .

MAXIM, unlike Cosmo, is not rich in such examples. The male stereotype of behavior suggests that a man should hide his emotions and feelings from others as carefully as possible. Even in the rubric "Couple: Psychology", which deals with the relationship between men and women, feelings are hidden under the guise of irony and cynicism. “When you're past meeting your parents and buying brush heads for a shared electric toothbrush, breaking up seems embarrassing and difficult. After all, she is still the best! And the fact that you have been avoiding sex for a week now and can only fall asleep while clutching an imaginary ax in your hands is the result of stress. Yeah. Are you telling us this? Come on, we're friends! Clearly, no one likes to feel like a scoundrel. But one day you will have to admit that the relationship has exhausted itself and leave the girl. Not this one, but the next one. So this one is better (suddenly the next one will be good). . This approach is completely unacceptable for a women's magazine.

As for the use of tropes and stylistic figures, it is difficult to determine the leadership of one of the magazines, since the use of artistic means is the main characteristic of the journalistic style. But the qualitative composition of the tropes in the magazines is different. In MAXIM, examples of metaphors and irony are the most frequent. "Laugh or cry, but magazines today are the sacred books of the new religions." “Animals from an overdose of vasopressin rush to mark their territory and grab new areas: grizzlies tear tree bark with their claws, cats spoil furniture. You, deprived of these small joys, have no choice but to look for a break in relations. After all, a new girl is the same uncharted territory, a field for genetic experiments. .

In Cosmo, on the other hand, the arsenal of tropes is more diverse: comparisons and gradations are added to metaphors and irony. “Methodical biting of the elbows is an unpleasant and, obviously, not useful occupation: in an attempt to reach the outer bend of the arm, it is quite possible to twist your neck”; “How many times did your sworn friend, moderately white and fluffy, “accidentally” cut the rope along which you tried to get to your own goal.”; “I wonder who will need me then at 95 - proud and shriveled, like a baked eggplant?” ; “Within about five years, relationships have time to transform - love, passion, sexual excitement are dulled, and mutual claims and just fatigue from communication accumulate”; “Gryphon, mermaid, perpetual motion machine. Interest-free loan. Civil marriage. What do they have in common? And that none of this really exists. But many believe."

But it should be noted that metaphors and comparisons in MAXIM are much more interesting and unexpected than in Cosmo, which is explained by greater freedom of the author. In MAXIM, there are absolutely no restrictions for writers either in vocabulary or in subject matter; in their “male company”, authors can not be shy in expressions and say the first thing that comes to mind. Whereas in a women's magazine, the authors always look back at their potential reader, afraid of being misunderstood, hurting or offending him.

The choice of vocabulary in journals is determined by the gender of not only authors, but also readers. Thus, the target audience of Cosmo are women with a clearly defined feminine type of thinking. The magazine pays special attention to creating the image of its reader, the “girl in Cosmo style”: she is a young, purposeful, ambitious girl who knows what she wants from life; she follows fashion, leads a healthy lifestyle and wants to be aware of all the latest events and trends. The readers of this magazine can be young girls who want to succeed in their studies, careers, relationships with others in general and with the opposite sex in particular. They will be able to find answers to their questions on the pages of Cosmo, while already established women will not be very interested in this magazine.

The target audience of MAXIM is not so easy to determine. The magazine positions itself as a men's magazine, but letters from readers published in each issue indicate that women also read it. But since the team of authors does not set themselves the task of taking into account the peculiarities of the female psyche (there are coarse expressions, cynicism, and even sometimes pictures of cruelty and violence in the magazine), then its readers have enough masculine traits in their character. The age of the directly male audience is difficult to determine, since along with articles about politics and sex, considerable attention is paid to sports and various tricks that may be of interest to both boys from 7 and adults. For example, in each issue there is a section devoted to revealing the secret of a trick.

Considering the morphological features of the texts of the journals, we made the assumption that the use of verbs would be more typical for male speech, and adjectives for female speech, but it turned out to be erroneous: the number of verbs and adjectives was approximately the same. Having not found confirmation of the hypothesis put forward earlier, we assumed that the characteristic differences in the speech of men and women should be sought not in the number of certain parts of speech they use, but in their qualitative difference. We analyzed the adjectives that are found in the text of the magazines, but also did not find patterns. In the texts of both journals there were both qualitative and quantitative adjectives, and in different articles their correlation was different and non-systematic.

Therefore, we can conclude that gender stereotypes are not so clearly reflected in morphology, since both men and women use all parts of speech for full communication, focusing not on their psychological perception of this word, but on the function that it performs in the text. .

Syntactic features are more characteristic in this respect. Thus, scientists consider introductory constructions designed to organize information as a distinctive feature of male syntax. In the materials of the MAXIM magazine, we found a lot of evidence of this. “MUDO (about the book “Fornication and MUDO” - my note) was not invented by me, but by our Ministry of Education. I worked for seven years at MUDO, a municipal institution of additional education. Yes, and “fornication” is a normal word, going back to “fornication”. In addition, this formula most accurately conveys the spirit and meaning of the book. “As a child, I dreamed of being a writer, oddly enough. He started by redoing the endings of works and films. Wrote sequels. There was, for example, such a Japanese cartoon about a cat in boots, which is either around the world, or ... some kind of rubbish. So I scribbled based on her motives. ” “In addition to a computer and a cassette, you will need a few more things to convert the recording to digital format. Firstly, a device capable of not only chewing, but also playing cassettes. Next, you should go to your neighbor and ask him for ten thousand dollars. When a neighbor says that he cannot give such an amount, take a breath and agree to take a stereo cable with symmetrical 3.5 mm connectors instead of money. In fact, you need him.”

The next feature of male speech is references to authorities. This can manifest itself in direct quotation. “The thickness of ice that can support a person (one, so don’t put anyone on your shoulders!) Is 5-7 cm. In order not to drill a hole, learn to determine the thickness by eye. If you're not colorblind, it's easy. The greenish and bluish shades of ice will tell you that its thickness has reached the required centimeters. But gray, yellowish and dull white indicate fragility, ”adds a little more knowledge about color Anatoly. [Anatoly Belyaev is the author of several books on the basics of life safety] ". “You don’t need to record each song separately,” Oleg [Oleg Smirnov, sound engineer at Moroz Records] protects you from unnecessary actions, “let the entire side of the cassette play.” After the end of the recording, using the equalizer scale, you can easily determine where each song begins and where it ends. An appeal to someone else's opinion can also be expressed through the indirect transmission of the words of an authoritative person. “Now you just have to stock up on a program that can record and edit sound files. For example, you can use the Microsoft Sound Recorder, which comes with Microsoft Windows by default. But Oleg suggests that you use Audacity (available for free at audacity.sourceforge.net)" . “Today it is generally accepted that a person is what he pays for a session with a psychoanalyst. Or, for example, he is what he says. It is this point of view that Natalya Mikheeva, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Department of General and Practical Psychology, Moscow State University of Humanities, adheres to. According to her, each person unconsciously uses special words (markers) in speech that indicate his long-standing shortcomings, complexes and character as a whole. “If you did not find the appropriate markers in your speech, do not despair. Our expert [Natalya Mikheeva] claims that the ‘character-marker’ link also works in the opposite direction. Start artificially introducing the right words into everyday speech, and they will lead to changes in the state of the psyche. The link may not even point to a specific authoritative person, but to scientists in general. “Psychologists call this a state of chronic competition. People exposed to it absolutely cannot get along with others (even if they use an antidepressant). Such an abundance of appeals to someone else's opinion is a consequence of the male desire for accuracy and reliability. References to authoritative sources permeate the entire magazine - only a small part of them are given in the examples.

The editorial staff of the journal resorts to the help of specialists not only for writing articles, but also for answering questions from readers. This tactic works in two directions at once: firstly, it inspires confidence in the articles and the journal as a whole, and secondly, it creates a comic effect, since specialists have to answer questions like: What does a person feel when his head is cut off? Why does the skin on my fingers wrinkle after taking a bath? Why don't penguins freeze to the ice they stand on?

Another expression of the desire for objectivity and reliability is the use of footnotes. There are footnotes in MAXIM, but they are rather comical. Some statements of the authors of the articles are accompanied by notes by Phacochorus Funtik - a fictional character, a warthog, who is positioned as a full member of the editorial board. His comments appear both in the editor's introductory article and in articles by other authors. They are always unexpected. Funtik comments not so much on a single word as on an idea expressed by the author. Thus, he acts as the first reader of the journal, critically comprehending articles. His comment is like a thought that came to mind while reading. The magazine reader is automatically included in the game, because the warthog shares his thoughts with him. “Nevertheless, with a sensitive scent of a trendsetter*, he [Frederic Begbeder] quickly caught the demands of the moment and wrote the book “I believe - I don’t either” (published in Russia by the Inostranka publishing house). *Note by Phacochorus Funtik: “This is such a hunting breed of dog. Spotted or red color, silky coat ... Or am I confusing something? Oh sorry. These are setters. And trendsetters are such a hunting breed of people who know how to sniff out all the most fashionable and relevant. ” . “Even the most child-loving man will never be able to believe that his main task in this life is to give birth to a child. A child for him is not the goal of life, but a consequence of this very life. So to speak, its symptom. Therefore, a man has to fulfill himself in other areas*. * Phacochorus Funtik's note: “Sometimes he even does well. Take, for example, me, Shakespeare or Einstein.” . “Learn to cook mulled wine*. In any New Year's company, the one who took up the preparation of mulled wine becomes the central figure of the event, on which all eyes are turned without exception. * Note by Phacochorus Funtik: “What is there to be able to do! Here is a recipe for a company of 10-15 people. We take red wine - 750 ml, white table wine - 750 ml, juice of one lemon, 8 pinches of nutmeg, 30 cloves. Pour all the wine and lemon juice into an enamel pan. Bring the drink to a boil. Then add cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, let it brew for 20 minutes. Lightly heat again and pour into cups. . This technique makes the texts of the magazine even more ironic. Moreover, giving the right to criticize the warthog, the group of authors laughs first of all at themselves. Such an attitude towards oneself is possible only in a men's magazine. In Cosmo, irony and humor are mostly applied to men and events of the surrounding world, manifestations of self-irony by the authors are not so frequent. Therefore, we can say that self-irony is a distinctive feature of male discourse.

There are no such footnotes and references in the women's edition. Even if, when writing an article, the author turned to the help of a specialist in a particular field, the reader will find out about this only at the very end of it - under the author's signature, gratitude for help in preparing the material usually follows. In the text itself, this is not expressed in any way: the entire article is written in the first person without the use of citations.

Course work

on the topic:

"Gender stereotypes in women's magazines

(on the material of the magazine "Cosmopolitan")"

Stavropol, 2011

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………...3

Chapter 1. Gender as an interdisciplinary category…………………………....6

The concepts of sex and gender…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
The use of gender stereotypes in women's magazines……………14

Chapter 2. Gender aspect in women's magazines (on the material of the magazine "Cosmopolitan")……………………………………………………………………….22

2.1 The image of a woman on the pages of the Cosmopolitan magazine………………….23

2.2 Characteristics of male images found in the magazine “Cosmopolitan”……………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………29

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….34

References…………………………………………………………………36

Introduction

Modern media occupy an important place in the life of society, they provide a variety of information, as well as opportunities for self-education and entertainment.

A magazine (printed periodical) is one of the main media that influences public opinion, shaping it in accordance with the interests of certain social classes, political parties, and organizations. The peculiarity of the magazine as a media product is its “targeting”, orientation to a certain group of readers. The media (in particular, magazines) play an important role in shaping the image of a modern person, both women and men, since the Russian press is currently experiencing a period of rapid development. Every month new publications appear, central and regional, and the existing ones change their concept and policy. This is especially noticeable in the example of the so-called women's press - magazines for women. Women's portraits/images in domestic journalism have occupied and continue to occupy a special place. "Portrait" (from the French. portrait - portrait, image) - in a literary work, the image of the external appearance of the hero: his face, figure, clothes, behavior. A psychological portrait is also common, in which the author, through the appearance and speech characteristics of the hero, reveals his inner world, character. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was they who largely determined the "face of the era". Since typified portraits not only reflect the norms and values formed in social life, but also contribute to their dissemination and social development, and even create new behavioral and emotional ideas.

Gender oriented illustrated magazines, i.e. magazines for women are not only translators of the gender culture of society, representing the stereotypes of femininity/masculinity, behavior strategies and models of relationships both between the sexes and within the same sex, but also the creators of the "new look" or "new stereotype" of modern man.

It can be assumed that one of the tasks of these publications is an attempt to form an identification system, a “corporate standard”, following which will help real people present themselves as a representative in everyday life. In other words, the purpose of women's magazines is the formation of gender stereotypes / typified portraits that are characteristic of a given society; drawing up and replicating prescriptions for what it means to be a "real woman" or "real man" in a particular society. The technology of gender representation includes two main components: an ideological or value component, etiquette and material attributes.

The ideological component of prescriptions includes the representation of values and worldview. At the same time, a system of ideas and views is declared. The prescriptions of etiquette and tangible paraphernalia set behavioral patterns for women and men in everyday situations (at work, at home, in a friendly company, etc.) and symbols of consumption appropriate for readers.

Feature of illustrated magazines is that they claim to shape the lifestyle of their readers.

The relevance of research is due to the fact that at the present stage of development of society, gender stereotypes broadcast by such a popular type of publication as women's magazines have a huge impact on the social positioning of their readers and, indirectly, men who are in the same social paradigm.

Object of study is Cosmopolitan magazine.

Subject of study are gender stereotypes broadcast by women's magazines.

The purpose of the study is a versatile study of gender stereotypes in women's magazines, their functioning in the paradigm of modern society.

The goal defines the main research objectives :

1. To study the theoretical literature on the proposed issues.

2. Define the concept of "gender".

3. Analyze the content of the Cosmopolitan magazine for the gender stereotypes it reproduces.

Research methods

As the main method of research, the method of scientific description is used, which includes methods of observation, generalization, interpretation, classification and systematization of the main material.

Course work consists of two parts, introduction, conclusion and bibliography.

Chapter 1. Gender as an interdisciplinary category

Gender - social gender, differences between men and women that depend not on biological, but on social conditions (social division of labor, specific social functions, cultural stereotypes, etc.).

The concept of gender appeared in sociology not so long ago: in American sociology in the 1970s, and in Russia it began to attract the attention of researchers in the early 1990s. It can be noted that it was the social transformations of the late 80s and early 90s that were the main factor that influenced the formation of a new direction in the social sciences in our country, which has not yet fully taken shape.

It is generally accepted that sex is a biological characteristic of a person, including the distinguishing features of men and women at the chromosomal, anatomical, reproductive and hormonal levels, and gender is a social dimension of sex, i.e. sociocultural phenomenon, meaning what it means to be a man or a woman in a particular society. For example, a man may play a social role that is traditionally considered non-male in a given society (sitting at home with children and not working), but such behavior does not make him “less a man” in a physical aspect. Acceptable and unacceptable social roles for men and women are set by society itself, its culture, norms and values.

The concept of gender developed gradually in American sociology, and at different times sociologists focused on the following aspects:

Gender as the social roles of men and women,

Gender as a way of expressing relations of power,

Gender as a system of control over the behavior of men and women,

Gender as a special social institution.

Moreover, most American sociologists consider the social position of men and women, their social roles in two planes - vertical: in the context of power, prestige, income, wealth, and horizontal: in the context of functions in the division of labor and institutional analysis (family, economics, politics, education).

Today, gender issues are an area of interdisciplinary research that attracts the attention of not only sociologists, but also psychologists, anthropologists, and historians.

However, if psychologists are more interested in the problem of gender socialization of the individual, the assimilation of the roles of men and women at the individual level, as well as the psychological differences between men and women (for example, in such aspects as aggression, creativity, mental abilities), then sociologists are more degrees are interested in the problems of social differences between men and women at the institutional level and the factors influencing these differences.

The sociology of gender appears at the intersection of two key questions:

1. Are there differences (other than physical ones) between men and women, and if so, what are they?

2. How can social differences and the social roles of men and women be explained - by nature or upbringing - i.e. physical features or social factors?

And if the first question does not cause much controversy (the fact of social differences is recognized by the majority), then researchers give a different answer to the second question. For example, the famous American sociologist Talcott Parsons derived differences in the social roles of men and women from their physical differences. And no less famous anthropologist Margaret Mead, having studied three societies of New Guinea, came to the conclusion that it is sociocultural factors, and not physical ones, that influence the social roles of men and women.

1.1 The concept of sex and gender

Gender is a systemic set of bioralogical properties that distinguish a man from a woman. Gender (English gender, from Latin gens - gender) - social gender, socially determined roles, identities and areas of activity for men and women, depending not on biological sex differences, but on the social organization of society

Gender is one of the most complex and ambiguous scientific categories. First of all, this concept denotes a set of mutually contrasting generative (from Latin genero - I give birth, produce) and related features. Sexual characteristics are not the same in individuals of different species and imply not only reproductive properties, but also the entire spectrum of sexual dimorphism (from the Greek di- - twice, twice, and morphe - shape), that is, discrepancies in the anatomical, physiological, mental and behavioral characteristics of individuals of a given species according to gender. At the same time, some gender differences are contrasting, mutually exclusive, while others are quantitative, allowing for numerous individual variations.

For a long time, the gender of an individual seemed monolithic and unambiguous. However, in the twentieth century. it turned out that sex is a complex multi-level system, the elements of which are formed at different times, at different stages of individual development (ontogenesis).

According to the scheme of the American sexologist John Money, the primary link in this long process - the chromosomal (genetic) sex (XX - female, XY - male) is created already at the moment of fertilization and determines the future genetic program of the body, in particular, the differentiation of its sex glands (gonads) - gonadal sex. The initial germinal gonads are not yet differentiated by sex, but then the H-Y antigen, which is characteristic only for male cells and makes them histologically incompatible with the immune system of the female body, programs the transformation of the rudimentary gonads of the male fetus into testes; the rudimentary gonads of the female fetus automatically turn into ovaries. The presence of testicles or ovaries is called the gamete sex (from the Greek gametes - spouse). This differentiation in general terms ends as early as the 7th week, after which special cells of the male gonad (Leydig cells) begin to produce male sex hormones (androgens). Under the influence of these germinal androgens (the hormonal sex of the fetus), the formation of the corresponding, male or female, internal reproductive organs (internal morphological sex) and external genitalia (external morphological sex, or genital appearance) begins. In addition, the differentiation of nerve pathways, certain parts of the brain that regulate sex differences in behavior, depends on them. After the birth of a child, the biological factors of sexual differentiation are supplemented by social ones. Based on the genital appearance of the newborn, its civil sex is determined (otherwise it is called passport, obstetric or ascriptive, i.e. assigned, sex), in accordance with which the child is brought up (gender of upbringing). An important role in this, both in the self-awareness of the child and in the attitude of the people around him, is played by the general scheme of his body and appearance, how much it corresponds to his civilian sex. During puberty, according to a signal coming from the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, the gonads begin to intensively produce the corresponding, male or female, sex hormones (pubertal hormonal sex), under the influence of which the adolescent develops secondary sexual characteristics (pubertal morphology) and erotic experiences (pubertal sex). eroticism). These new circumstances are superimposed on the child's past life experience and his self-image, resulting in the formation of the final sexual and sexual identity of an adult.

Work description

Modern media occupy an important place in the life of society, they provide a variety of information, as well as opportunities for self-education and entertainment.

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………...3

Chapter 2. Gender aspect in women's magazines (on the material of the magazine "Cosmopolitan")………………………………………………………………………….22

2.1 The image of a woman on the pages of the Cosmopolitan magazine………………….23

2.2 Characteristics of male images found in the magazine "Cosmopolitan"……………………………………………………………………...29

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….34

References…………………………………………………………………36

Currently, the problem of stereotypes of gender behavior is very relevant. This is explained by the fact that in modern society, in order to ensure their own well-being, a person has to constantly be on the move. And if earlier the responsibility for earning a livelihood lay on the shoulders of men, today women have also stepped on this path. As a result, there is a redistribution of roles between a man and a woman, new models of behavior are formed for both men and women, and therefore new gender stereotypes appear. This is due to the fact that in the minds of men and women, under the influence of a set of roles, patterns of typical male and female behavior are formed.

In this paper, it is the female view of the problem that is studied, because in connection with the redistribution of roles, a considerable part of previously exclusively male duties began to fall on her. It became harder for a woman to fight for her well-being. Therefore, the opinion of the “weaker” sex seems to be the most interesting for research. Along with the role set of the individual, there are other reasons for the emergence of stereotypes. W. Lippman in his work "Public Opinion" identifies two fundamental factors in the existence of gender stereotypes in society. The first reason is to implement the principle of economy of effort, which is characteristic of everyday human thinking. This principle means that people do not always strive to respond to the phenomena around them in a new way, but bring them under already existing categories. The second reason is related to the protection of group values as a purely social function, which is realized in the form of asserting one's dissimilarity and specificity. That is, stereotypes act as a fortress that protects the traditions of society. There is another classification of gender behavior variability factors. These include culture, social class, race, ethnicity, occupational status, and sexual orientation.

The process of forming stereotypes of gender behavior is under considerable pressure from the media. In accordance with a sociological survey by O.V. Baskakova, commercials, TV shows impose on viewers the idea that men and women are primarily associated with the following images:

Successful businessman (business woman)

The image of impeccable people who care about their style and appearance

sexy look

The image of the head of the family

In addition, men in the "advertising gender field", unlike women, are not so globally identified with the manifestation of gender. Their behavior rather serves as an expression of social status and individuality. These behavioral models used in advertising to represent masculinity in general and the male image in particular reproduce real experiences and real details of everyday life, with a clear demonstration of the prevalence in the minds of our society of the patriarchal picture of the world presented in the advertising context. The consequence of this influence of the media is the fact that, at first impression, many people attribute to the interlocutor not the qualities that he possesses, but those that, in his opinion, a representative of this sex should possess. Therefore, it is extremely important to pay attention to stereotypes in order not to be influenced by them when people perceive each other.

In addition to the term "media", there is a concept associated with mass information and is gaining popularity. This term is “media space”. “Typical” behavior is made up of many areas of pastime, one of which is the distribution of free time, that is, leisure. Sociologists have previously found that men and women spend their free time differently. For example, men watch TV more often, postponing all business, focusing exclusively on the TV show. A characteristic feature of the male style of watching television is also zapping, that is, the constant “clicking” on the channels. Women's style of watching TV is different. Women are more likely to watch TV in the background, which they combine with household chores, while they are more likely to watch the selected program from start to finish without changing channels. A person's behavior when watching TV or reading books can tell about him, so this topic is of particular research interest. The problem lies in the fact that the media space imposes stereotypes of the behavior of women and men on society, resulting in people's perception of each other.

In the course of a sociological survey, it was found that women believe that the modern media space (mass media, TV, literature and films) contributes to the formation of stereotypes about men and women. One of the most powerful factors of gender stereotyping is television. Respondents were asked the question: "What is your favorite genre of cinema?". Among female viewers, preferences were distributed as follows: melodrama (14%), drama (13%) and comedy (10%). The “wooden” position is occupied by horrors (2.5%). But the analysis of the relationship between the presence of a “favorite movie genre” and the existence of gender stereotyping in this study showed that it is not entirely fair to say that the preferences of viewers in one way or another influence the formation of images of a “real” woman and a “real” man. It was also found out that neither the number of hours per day devoted to watching television, nor the nature of the TV programs viewed, has a decisive influence on this process. Gender stereotyping feeds on these factors, which, when added together, form a powerful information field - the media space.

One of the most interesting tasks of this sociological study was devoted to identifying the image of a man and a woman as users of the media space. The following criteria were put forward as the basis for compiling this image:

Literature popular among women

Film Genre Preferences

TV viewing style

Previously, some of the criteria have already been partially disclosed, but they should be more widely disclosed. So, 48% of women prefer classical literature, primarily novels and detective stories. Among the literature read by women, all kinds of magazines are very relevant. Among the most popular are the magazines "Everything for a Woman", "Cosmopolitan", "Caravan of History" and RVS. The main topics of these magazines are beauty and health, fashion, celebrity stories and news reports. At the same time, the spread of preferences for this kind of literature is quite large, which indicates that women read a large amount of this kind of literature.

In order to have an idea about a woman as a TV viewer, you need to know how often a modern business woman, wife, mother can afford to relax at the TV screen. It was found that the average woman spends about 1.5 hours a day watching TV. At the same time, the woman is not focused on a particular TV show. The fact is that 40% of the women surveyed watch TV while being distracted by other things, 32% occasionally look at the screen while doing other things, that is, they actually use the TV as a radio, 16% of women admitted that they don’t watch TV at all lately , 12% admit that they frequently change channels when watching TV.

One of the main "passions" in the world of cinema for a woman is melodrama. This was confirmed in this sociological study: 32% of women singled out this genre of cinema as a favorite. Also, as a favorite genre, women singled out a genre close to the previous one - drama and comedy. So, it was found that, in the opinion of women, the fact of gender stereotypes takes place in the modern media space. Women were asked to answer the question about how a woman is associated in mass media. It turned out that, first of all, the media space describes a modern woman as a hard-working business woman who directs all her energy primarily to achieve money. Such a woman is businesslike, solves responsible issues. She is independent, strong-willed and does not need outside help in her decisions. This is the opinion of 25% of the respondents. Secondly, a modern woman is a caring mother. She is gentle, her main task is the upbringing of her beloved children. She seeks to protect her child from the surrounding adversity; financial affairs are unattractive to her. 23% of respondents agree with this opinion. And thirdly, a woman in the media space is a housewife. She is dependent on a man, her circle of affairs narrows down to household chores. At the same time, it is obvious that the respondents themselves are ironic about this image, since it was often possible to read the wording “the image of a housewife - a loser” in the questionnaires. This opinion belongs to 5% of the respondents. Also, women were offered such images as a spouse, a well-groomed woman, a seeker of her happiness, striving for a standard, a boss, and so on.

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I. Gevinner

Gevinner Irina (Hannover, Germany) - researcher at the Institute of Sociology, Leibniz University Hannover. Email: [email protected]

GENDER STEREOTYPES: WHAT DO THE IMAGES OF WOMEN IN THE POPULAR WOMEN'S MAGAZINES OF THE USSR AND GDR EVIDENCE?

In the USSR, the media in general and print magazines in particular were called upon to shape attitudes, patterns of behavior, cultural norms and consumption practices. Thus, in the USSR, propaganda stereotypes of the new Soviet woman for decades supported the image of "emancipated", i.e. working woman, essentially rewarding her with a double burden - paid employment in social production and unpaid housework and raising children. In this regard, the images of women in the USSR were distinguished by the ambivalence of the gender orientation of clothing and behavioral roles. They were reproduced from generation to generation, according to the theory of the gender schema by S. Bem (1981).

This article aims to find out whether the images of women in the printed magazines of the USSR are similar to the images of women in other countries of the social bloc, in particular, in the GDR. Thus, the aim is to discuss the transmission of patterns of behavior and consumption in print magazines within the framework of "advanced socialism", which corresponds to the period of the 1970s. To what extent do magazines influence women in a unified way? Are the portrayals of women in popular magazines of other (capitalist) countries fundamentally different?

The results show a divergence in the images of women in the Soviet Union and in East Germany.

Key words: image, gender stereotypes, popular women's magazines, USSR, GDR.

Irina Gewinner (Hannover, Germany) - Research Assistant at the University of Hannover; Email: [email protected]

GENDER STEREOTYPES: WOMEN STEREOTYPES IN POPULAR WOMEN'S MAGAZINES IN THE USSR AND THE GDR

In the USSR, media in general and print magazines, in particular, have been designed to create views, patterns of behavior, cultural norms and practices of consumption. Thus, in Soviet Russia, propaganda stereotypes of the new Soviet women throughout decades maintained the image of an "emancipated" woman, i.e. an employed woman with other duties like unpaid housework and child-rearing. In this regard, the images of women of Soviet Russia featured ambivalence of gender orientation of clothes and behavioral roles. They were being reproduced from generation to generation, according to the gender schema theory by S. Bem (1981).

This article aims at revealing whether images of women in print magazines are consistent with pictures of

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Soviet women in other socialist countries, in particular, in the GDR. Thus, I wish to discuss the transfer of patterns of behavior and consumption in print magazines in the "developed socialism", which corresponds to the period of the 1970s. To what extent do magazines affect women in a unified way? Are the images of women dramatically different in popular magazines in other (capitalist) countries?

The findings indicate a discrepancy between women's images in Soviet Russia and East Germany.

Key words: images, gender stereotypes, popular women magazines, USSR, GDR.

Introduction

Among other important functions, the media are a tool of social communication: they convey images, values, norms, differentiate news according to their importance and, thus, construct reality. In totalitarian, “closed” societies with a deficit of democratic rights and freedoms of individuals, the media acquire even greater significance: they are probably the most powerful means of propaganda, carry elements of ideology, and form the behavior of individuals desired by the state.

First of all, such practices correspond to such an extensive socio-historical experiment as the USSR. It was in the key countries of the social bloc that the media in general and print magazines in particular were called upon to shape attitudes, behavior patterns, cultural norms and consumption practices. As M. Gudova and I. Rakipova (2010) note, "... ideologically oriented women's magazines managed to convince women from their pages that their living and working conditions... are optimal..." . This was brought to life through not only text, but also graphic images, which in the long run conveyed to the reader latent messages about “how to” and “how to do it right.” In addition, print media reproduce cultural stereotypes from generation to generation, thus having a significant impact on public perceptions of minorities, gender issues, etc. This is manifested in the images of women and men in the printed press, through which their social and social status is read.

Studies emphasize the special role of the media in the socialist countries - they are an effective means of "changing the psychology, behavior of the female masses, uniting them into production teams, coordinating work and everyday activities, replacing personal interests of the national government" . Thus, the emphasis lies in the sphere of the formation of consciousness, patterns of behavior and values desired by the authorities. However, to what extent are the media really capable of being guided only by the indicated policy and objectively putting this idea into practice? To what extent do they have exclusively socialist features of influence on women - averaging, masculinization - radically different from the methods of portraying women in popular magazines in other (capitalist) countries?

This article aims to compare women's images and thus discuss the transmission of patterns of behavior and consumption in printed magazines in the USSR and the GDR within the framework of "developed socialism", which corresponds to the period of the 1970s. On the one hand, the Soviet Union represented the ideological "heart" of socialism, the engine for building a socialist future. On the other hand, the closeness of state borders and the ban on foreign goods and cultural norms were associated by a large number of Soviet citizens with romantic images of the "West" and everything foreign. This not least provided fertile ground in the USSR for the dissemination and literal absorption of popular women's magazines from the GDR, perceived as "abroad", and the images of women documented in them.

Theoretical reasoning

The theoretical basis of my work is the theory of the gender schema by S. Bem (1981, 1983), which combines the features of the psychological and social theories of gender information processing. According to this theory, children from an early age learn the so-called. gender polarization - the division of the world according to gender criteria. So, for example, emotionality or the desire to gain harmony is perceived as something feminine, and silent restraint or high growth is perceived as typically masculine. According to such criteria, children learn to typify based on sex - and adapt to the framework of behavior according to these structures. At the same time, two important processes are affected - the cognitive development of the child, manifested in the differentiation of the life world according to gender criteria (1), as well as the social nature of this educational process (2) . That is, on the one hand, gender-based typing is mediated by the child's own cognitive processing of what is happening, while the processing of information according to the gender schema is a derivative of gender differentiation practices in the corresponding social community. Thus, gender schema theory suggests that gender typing is a phenomenon that can be learned, which implies that it can be changed and modified.

Essentially, gender schemas are mental scripts, as are scripts for daily routines and everyday practices. As gender schemas develop, children begin to apply them in their own practices and situations in everyday life. Thus, gender schemas are an important part of the development of children's gender identity; on the other hand, they are a source of gender stereotyping and behavior based on gender stereotypes. Research shows that girls are more gender stereotyping than boys.

Based on the foregoing, it is easy to

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to assume that the media have a significant impact on the assimilation of gender stereotypes by their consumers. Numerous studies conducted on the example of television viewing have shown that not only children, but also adults are influenced by gender images broadcast by this means of communication if consumers associate themselves with the presented images [See, for example: 13]. Moreover, the authors of the theory of social learning argue that consumers of media sources draw and adopt the proposed gender stereotypes, which can subsequently influence the attitudes and patterns of behavior of individuals.

Even if stereotypes are to some extent subject to change depending on historical and political contexts (which, however, is not confirmed by some studies), they are largely able to shape and reflect cultural values, norms and ideologies. In particular, they broadcast gender and professional stereotypes, values, body language, fashion, relationships. Thus, the media in general, and print magazines in particular, reproduce what is considered typically feminine and typically male in a given society, what gender roles are expected of the sexes, what behavior is considered conforming and what is unacceptable.

In any case, many gender stereotypes are based on the female-male dichotomy, polarizing and contrasting qualities, biological characteristics, typical traits and character traits between men and women. So, typically female roles imply something hedonistic (physical attractiveness, harmony), while agonistic images are more often inherent in men (strength, aggression, independence). This study is based on the classification developed by S. Kaiser and uses as a complement the features of the ideals of Soviet masculinity and femininity, considered in the works of Russian researchers.

Studies of the images of women and men in

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Various media sources in the US have shown that the dichotomy of images has been present for a long period of time and emphasizes, as a rule, the passivity of women and their inability to make decisions independently. In addition, the images of women often have a family, recreational or decorative nature, thus distancing themselves from the public sphere (politics, work). Moreover, longitudinal studies of the portrayal of women in popular magazines conclude that women are most often portrayed in a feminine way. Do the images of Soviet women follow the same tradition?

Images of Soviet women in the 1970s

years in popular magazines (USSR)

In a number of popular Soviet women's magazines (for example, Rabotnitsa, Peasant Woman), images of women were often used as a tool to influence the reader/readers. Since the ruling power controlled almost the entire press, it had the opportunity to broadcast the images and qualities of Soviet women it desired in order to create a “new Soviet man”. In addition to the function of creating reality through printed images, magazines focused on the formation and maintenance of the image of a real Soviet woman. The goal was to form the Soviet stereotype of "worker and mother", which was based not at all on the need for a sudden egalitarian gender policy on the part of the Soviet authorities, but on the need for an urgent rise in the country's economy. It is significant that the CPSU envisaged the extensive inclusion of women in the public sphere through the employment of the latter, but provided only low-skilled jobs for Soviet women. However, this circumstance was especially emphasized only in the post-war years, when women were forced to participate in the restoration of the country. By the time of the formation of “developed socialism” (1970s), typically female areas of employment were recreated, which allowed women to

raise their level of education and social status.

The features of the images of women in Soviet women's publications of the 1970s consisted not only in the transmission of the appropriate image of a Soviet-style citizen, but also in the formation of the correct ideology and gender culture. Thus, the distinctive features of women's images consisted, as a rule, in an active life position, equality with a man. It is noteworthy that equality meant equality between men and women, which could only be achieved by the inclusion of the latter in the production process. The Western and bourgeois idea of a man as a family breadwinner is being squeezed out of Soviet gender culture, giving a woman the opportunity to become financially independent of a man. However, equality existed only theoretically and formally on paper (legislation). In practice, the ruling power only strengthened the gender segregation of professions into male and female, thus significantly limiting women's access to the real elimination of discrimination and the achievement of equality. Home and family, as well as typical women's professions (social sphere, food, textile industry, sewing business) remained traditional women's spheres.

This discrepancy can be clearly seen in the images of women in Soviet printed popular magazines. The Soviet press tried in every possible way to obscure the discrepancies between official legal regulations and the existing reality. This was manifested in the depiction of socially and politically active women, most often in the workplace or in public places. A large number of popular magazines (“Peasant Woman”, “Rabotnitsa”) themed the professional self-realization of women, deliberately displacing gender stereotypes from their publications. Soviet women are rarely portrayed as tired, drooping under a pile of problems and the difficulty of combining the social roles of "worker" and "mother", images of women in the private sphere (at home) are rare. Vice versa,

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images reflect, if not frank involvement in the public sphere (work, public space), then at least the blurring or uncertainty of the background (nature, studio).

However, other categories of assessment of women's images in popular magazines indicate a discrepancy with the given and desired norms, implying the household, family and traditionally patriarchal destiny of women. Thus, the clothes of women in magazine images are distinguished by modesty and functionality, not only their femininity is emphasized (head scarf, brooch, etc.), but also practicality in everyday life, when it is necessary to combine several social roles in one individual. Elegance is limited to low-key dresses and economical suits, which are designed to average, mix with the general gray mass, hide social origin and latently indicate the strengthening of collectivist attitudes. Particular emphasis is placed on modesty - a typical Soviet ideal of femininity, denying any hint of sexuality.

The age of the depicted women is averaged beyond recognition, does not seek to emphasize special youth or old age. As a rule, these are women in their 40s and 50s who are in the prime of their lives and fit for socialist production. Magazines rarely depict young girls, but rather focus on the socialist maturity of women "workers".

Their postures are ambivalent: on the one hand, the patterns of behavior of the depicted women testify to strength of mind, independence in work (managing machines, working on a machine tool), competence - clear agonistic characteristics. On the other hand, women are extremely rarely depicted at the head or in the center of men. On the contrary, the images imply restraint, bordering on the passivity of social roles: women are shown in a team, among other women, while performing collective work. In photographs with men, women play the role of a passive listener who listens to explanations or instructions. AT

In companies, women bow their heads and attentively, respectfully listen to men, look at them from the bottom up. In the images of couples, women are characterized as modest creatures, looking down in front of a man and sometimes coquettishly tilting their heads to one side. The described features of behavioral patterns imply a rather hedonistic function of women: dependence, heterosexual orientation, partly physical attractiveness.

Images of women in Soviet popular magazines of the 1970s are ambivalent and combine both hedonistic and agonistic attitudes. Soviet women are elegant, they wear dresses and skirts, which is designed to emphasize their femininity and difference from men. Printed magazines depict attractive, natural-skinned ladies with no make-up, thus hinting at a healthy lifestyle through regular work and dismissing make-up as a bourgeois necessity. Soviet young "emancipated", i.e. working, women are slender and well-groomed, which at least indirectly indicates their hedonistic function. At the same time, women in the Soviet Union are portrayed as competent, self-confident, proactive, and embodying cheerfulness and fortitude. In general, the hypothesis about the dominance of traditional stereotypes of images of women in Soviet print media is not confirmed.

As N. Azhgikhina notes, the classic Soviet stereotype of “worker and mother”, reproduced by the official press, persisted throughout the years of the USSR. It should be noted that the indicated ambivalence of images was also inherent in the images of women in the magazines of East Germany, however, it dates back more likely to the 1950s-1960s.

Methodological foundations of the study

To compare the images of women in the popular print media of the USSR and East Germany (GDR), images were analyzed.

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women in such well-known East German magazines as Für Dich (For You), Pramo, as well as Der deutsche Straßenverkehr (German Traffic) and Freie Welt (Free World). The first two editions are popular magazines aimed exclusively at a female audience, while the last two are gender-neutral general magazines that do not focus on women. All of these magazines were published in the GDR and ceased to exist after the reunification of Germany.

"Für Dich" is an illustrated women's magazine published weekly and includes a variety of headings from various fields - politics, economics, culture, fashion and cosmetics, letters from readers and practical advice for women.

Pramo is a richly illustrated women's fashion magazine published by the only publishing house in the GDR, Verlag für die Frau (Publishing House for Women), which contains the abbreviation of the phrase "practical fashion" in its title. As you know, abbreviations were also very fashionable in the USSR, and the very name of the magazine reflected the spirit of the time. The East German "Pramo" was essentially a long-term analogue of the West German "Burda-moden" - the magazine not only replicated the current fashion, but also broadcast its availability through the opportunity to make it yourself: each issue contained hemmed patterns and patterns.

Der deutsche Straßenverkehr was published monthly and reported on the emerging auto industry in the GDR and the desire for individual mobility. In addition to reporting on cars from East Germany and elsewhere, the magazine provided advice on travel, repairs, and reports on traffic safety and traffic laws.

Freie Welt is an illustrated magazine with an editorial office in Berlin and a permanent foreign office in Moscow. In addition to reports on culture and everyday life in the GDR, the USSR and other countries sympathetic to socialism (Ethiopia, Chile), the publication published in

mostly political, ideological and propaganda articles.

To analyze the images of women, several copies of these magazines published in the 1970s were selected by random sampling. Both summer and winter publications were mandatory included in the study in order to neutralize any seasonal differences, which are characteristic, first of all, for fashion magazines. For a comparative study, 328 images of women that were present in these magazines were taken into account. They were carefully categorized and scanned for subsequent content analysis.

Large images were analyzed that included at least one woman whose body was shown at least %. The analysis included both color and black-and-white images of women. The study of images of women took place in three important areas:

The analysis of the gender orientation of clothing was based on ordinal scales of clothing attributes corresponding to the generally accepted ideals of masculinity and femininity of the Soviet era (See Fig. 1) .

Rice. 1. Ideals of masculinity and femininity in clothing (1=masculine, 2=feminine)

angular---12345---rounded

asceticism

catchiness --- 12345 --- modesty

extravagance --- 12345 --- practicality

simplicity---12345---elegance

masculinity

similarity to a man --- 12345-traditional femininity_

hair length

short---12345---long

labyrinth

"Journal of Social and Humanitarian Research

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hanging---12345---slim

dark --- 12345 --- light

bright---12345---grey

Rice. 2. Gender orientations of roles

Agonistic (male) Hedonistic (female)

1) goal achievement 1) interest in appearance

2) action, activity 2) physical attractiveness

3) independence from others 3) dependence, passivity

4) competitiveness 4) heterosexual attractiveness

7) competence

Tab. 1. The total number and % ratio of images of women showing agonistic and hedonistic gender orientations of roles

There was an assessment of the presence or absence of qualities typical of a particular gender orientation.

Images of Soviet women in the 1970s in popular magazines (GDR)

So, for a comparative context analysis of the images of women in the popular magazines of the GDR of the 1970s, 328 images of women were studied: 24 from Freie Welt, 88 from Der deutsche Straßenverkehr (of which 34 were cartoons), 106 images from the magazine "Für dich" and 110 from "Pramo". In fact, more women were examined than images, as the latter sometimes documented not one, but several women at once. The results of the distribution of hedonistic and agonistic gender orientations of roles are presented in Table. one.

number of women % of total*

Traits associated with hedonism

1) interest in appearance 34 8.6

2) physical attractiveness 286 72.7

3) dependence, passivity 97 24.6

4) heterosexual attractiveness 169 43.0

Features associated with agonism

1) achievement of the goal 49 12.4

2) action, proactivity 71 18.0

3) independence from others 19 4.8

4) competitiveness - -

5) aggression - -

6) force 3 0.7

7) competence 114 29.0

*The sum of % does not add up to 100%, because the same woman could combine both agonistic and hedonistic traits.

It should be noted that the target audience of print magazines largely determined the semantic orientation of the images.

For example, "Freie Welt" is rich in images of men, reviews and messages from all over the world, and therefore there are few images of women in it. In general, the range of presented images of women is quite wide - from average BAM workers to half-naked actresses, with no specific emphasis on clothing or behavioral/social roles of women. To study the gender orientation of women's images, their clothes were rated on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means masculine and 5 means femininity.

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Neutral orientation was rated with a number of 3, with which the average values of 24 images of women were compared. The average value of women's clothing orientations in Freie Welt is 3.3. In other words, the gender orientation of clothing in the studied images of women was relatively neutral and did not lean towards either masculinity or emphasized femininity. Further analysis of the gender orientations of women's roles showed that in 42% (n=10) of cases, women were portrayed as passive, attractive and, as it were, in addition to men. This was manifested, for example, in the images of women attentively listening to men, serving them, acting as an escort.

The images of women in the motoring magazine Der deutsche Straßenverkehr proved to be quite one-sided in terms of women's positioning. This was especially true for 34 explicitly sexist cartoons, which were excluded from the study for methodological reasons. In the remaining 54 units of analysis, traditional images are not uncommon, broadcasting the household and family lot of women: teachers taking children across the road, doctors in white coats studying a map on the side of the road, female students controlling traffic, ladies, representatives of the people's policemen. Women are often depicted as passengers (car or motorcycle), as persons interested in caravans on wheels, as mothers transporting children. The stereotypically classic images of technically unskilled women who cannot change a wheel or put on a snow chain are striking, being watched by men. However, content analysis of women's gender roles showed that only in 48% (n=26) of cases, women are portrayed in a hedonistic way. The gender orientation of clothes in the studied images of women turned out to be neutral (m=3.4), although it showed a slight tendency towards femininity.

Of particular interest are the popular print magazines of East Germany with a female target audience - "Für dich" and "Pramo". So,

the first of them is replete with images of women of different age groups (girls, young students, young mothers, middle-aged women, elderly ladies). The range of professions that are latently read from images is also wide: these are laboratory workers, and workers in factories and farms, and musicians, and doctors of various kinds, and athletes, and party workers, and employees of the educational sphere (educators, teachers). The magazine signals that by the advent of the 1970s in the GDR, women were not only actively involved in the public sphere/production, but also successfully mastered all kinds of professions. However, the images rarely imply that women are in leadership positions: as a rule, representatives of the lower and middle management are broadcast. Often and latently implied gender segregation of professions.

The images broadcast by the magazine "Für dich" represent well-groomed women who look after their appearance, wearing makeup. Women are often depicted with long hair, tailored outfits, short skirts and high-heeled shoes. The images of East German women are distinguished by taste and elegance, their clothes are diverse in style, fabrics and silhouettes. Items of clothing do not hang in a bag, and often emphasize the figure of the owner, perhaps varying in length. Women are happy to use suitable accessories (bags, brooches, scarves, belts, chains), pose against the backdrop of nature. Depending on the season and fashion trends, sportswear is also used, emphasizing the independence of women (for example, repairs). Knitted garments are distinguished by quality, variety of patterns and elegance.

In general, the images of women in the GDR imply a more feminine orientation of their clothes (m=4). Thus, the analyzed images indicate the hedonistic gender orientation of women, which is confirmed by 85% (n=91) of the corresponding behavioral roles.

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Similar conclusions arise from the content analysis of 110 images from the Pramo fashion magazine. Images of women imply modesty and taste, elegance and ingenuity, resourcefulness and accuracy at the same time. Women are portrayed as attractive, sometimes even flirtatious (a flirtatious smile, a mysterious look, a turn of the head, a slight thoughtfulness, etc.). On some documents, women's interest in their appearance is clearly shown - this is determined by applying makeup, adjusting a piece of clothing. The color of ladies' outfits is not averaged to gray, but represents pleasant tones - beige, pale pink, yellow, pale blue, red, etc. Content analysis shows that the average value of women's clothing orientations in Pramo magazine is even higher than in the women's edition Für dich, and is equal to 4.02. On a scale between the poles of masculinity and femininity, this value clearly leans towards the latter and thus speaks of the features associated with the feminine gender orientation of clothing. Thus, the hypothesis about the penetration of traditional cultural gender stereotypes into the images of women in the printed publications of the GDR is confirmed in the case of popular women's magazines.

Discussion

The images of women in popular publications in East Germany - as well as in the USSR - were used to form and maintain the image of a Soviet woman, the same "worker and mother" as in Soviet Russia. Just as in the heart of socialism, the ruling party of the GDR included women in the public sphere through the employment of the latter. As in the USSR, the 1970s in East Germany are characterized by a massive return of women to typically female employment.

However, the obvious differences between the gender orientations of clothing and the behavioral roles of women in the USSR and the GDR are noteworthy. Thus, the results of this study indicate that the images of women in popular women's

in the magazines of the GDR run counter to the images of women in the magazines of the Soviet Union, conveying a temporary transformation of the image of the former and a certain rigidity in the transmission of the image of the latter. The results of the content analysis indicate that the women of the GDR are portrayed in a more feminine way - a feature of East German fashion and photography is to emphasize not individuality and dynamic change, but “mass character and textile expediency” . The results of this study are consistent with image analyzes of women conducted in other countries. To some extent, they contradict the predetermined policy of emancipated equality and make it possible to draw obvious parallels with the images of women in the magazines of other - not necessarily socialist - countries.

It seems that the images of women in the popular women's magazines of the GDR had a certain influence on readers in the USSR through the distribution channels of the former. As noted, the ambivalence of images, emphasized in Soviet women in the 1970s, is compatible with the images of women in the GDR in the 1950s and 60s. As N. Azhgikhina notes, in the 1980s, new, alternative to the official, stereotypes arose in the USSR, dividing into two types - “a peasant woman cultivating the land and raising children, and a sexy Cinderella waiting for a prince”.

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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
FEDERAL AGENCY FOR EDUCATION
BLAGOVESCHENSKY STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

DEPARTMENT OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND THE METHODS OF TEACHING IT

Reflection of gender stereotypes in the press
(based on American publications)

Final qualifying work
(graduate work)

Completed by: 5th year student
Ovsyannikova Olga Sergeevna
Signature:_________
Scientific adviser:
Associate Professor of the Department of English and
his teaching methods
Candidate of Philology,
Palaeva Irina Valentinovna
Signature: _________

Admitted to the defense "_____" ___________ 200__
Head department ____________________________
The defense took place on "_____" ____________ 200__.
Grade "________"
Chairman of the SAC: (signature) ________________

BLAGOVESCHENSK 2009

	CONTENT
	INTRODUCTION	3
1	Basic concepts of gender linguistics	7
1.1	The concept of gender	7
1.1.2	Masculinity and femininity	12
1.1.3	Androgyny and its manifestations	17
1.2	The role and place of feminist ideology in the development linguistic studies of gender	19
1.3	Gender stereotypes in the media	23
1.4	Conclusions on the first chapter	28
2	Reflection of gender stereotypes in the press	30
2.1	Visual gender-specific information in periodicals	30
2.2	Verbal gender-specific information in periodicals	35
2.3	Gender stereotypes in Cosmopolitan magazine	50
2.4	Gender stereotypes in GQ magazine	60
2.5	Gender stereotypes in Blender, People, and newspapers New York Times, USA Today	69
2.5.1	Gender stereotypes in “Blender”, “People” magazines	69
2.5.2	Gender stereotypes in the New York Times, USA Today	78
2.6	Conclusions on the second chapter	83
	Conclusion	85
	List of used literature	88
	Application	94

INTRODUCTION

In the last decades of the twentieth century, there has been an intensive development of gender linguistics, which examines such issues as the reflection of gender in the language, as well as the speech and, in general, communicative behavior of men and women. Language data obtained by gender linguistics is one of the main sources of information about the nature and dynamics of the construction of gender as a product of culture and social relations.
In the proposed thesis, following the leading genderologists of domestic and foreign linguistics (Voronina O.A., Goroshko E.I., Cameron D., Kirilina A.V., Sornyakova S.S., Scott J.), we define gender as a sociocultural floor. In this work, sociocultural gender is understood as a complex of social and mental processes, as well as cultural attitudes generated by society and influencing the behavior of an individual (Kirilina, 1999).
Knowledge about people, accumulated both on the basis of personal communication experience and through other sources, is generalized and fixed in the minds of people in the form of social stereotypes. They automate human thinking, help without any difficulty to evaluate those phenomena that are related to stereotyped judgments. For centuries, people have developed stereotypical ideas about the behavior patterns of men and women, which are still guided by representatives of one sex or another, regardless of their individual characteristics and age.
Today, mass media have a direct impact on the formation of public opinion. Values and ideas regarding the role of women and men in society are reflected in the flow of information broadcast by the mass media. The way in which mass media present the social roles of men and women has a great influence on the social status of the individual.
Gender stereotypes based on socially accepted ideas about masculine and feminine personality traits are widely used in the activities of the mass media to highlight gender roles. Modern mass communications, reflecting the image of a person in the press, the Internet, on radio and television, contribute to the formation of certain behavioral attitudes. The gender stereotype can change over time due to the changing roles of women in society, but it should be borne in mind that gender stereotypes, like social stereotypes, are characterized by stability and long-term existence in the “mass consciousness”. Mass media play an important role in broadcasting gender stereotypes. In this regard, the study of the mass media as a factor in the reproduction and formation of gender stereotypes in the mind is now of particular relevance.
The subject of this study is lexemes that verbalize gender stereotypes.
Gender stereotypes in the modern American press are the object of study of this thesis. In the scientific literature, there are works that study gender stereotypes (Voronina O.A., 2001; Kirilina A.V., 2001; Skornyakova S.S., 2004; Temkina A.A., 2002), however, a systematic study of gender stereotypes , both men and women in general, as far as we know, has not yet been the object of a special linguistic study.
The scientific novelty of the proposed study is determined by its object and an integrated approach to describing the entire gender system of stereotypes that are formed on the pages of periodicals in the United States. Along with female stereotypes, our work pays attention to male stereotypes, and also determines the role and place of the crisis of masculinity in the reflection of the male image.
The purpose of this study is to reconstruct the system of gender stereotypes in modern American society. In accordance with the goal, the following tasks are formed:
1. Make a review of the theoretical literature on gender studies in linguistics;
2. Conduct a selection of lexical elements that verbalize gender stereotypes in modern US periodicals;
3. Identify universal and culturally specific features of gender stereotypes, as well as interpret the identified features in the context of modern culture;
4. Structuring gender stereotypes;
5. Give a general description of feminine and masculine stereotypes in modern American society.
The material for this study was modern American periodicals. All magazines and newspapers can be conditionally divided into three groups: women's magazine (“Cosmopolitan”, 2008); mixed newspapers and magazines (“People”, 2007 “Blender”, 2008; “New York Times”, 2008; “USA Today”, 2008), men's magazine (“GQ”, 2009,).
The selection of the analyzed lexical material, in which gender stereotypes are realized, was carried out according to its gender orientation (marking) by the continuous sampling method. By gender marking we, following A.V. Kirilina, understand an indication of a sign of biological sex in the meaning of a lexical unit, i. on the sign “female person” or “male person”, and not on “person in general” (Kirilina A.V. 1999). 2038 lexemes verbalizing gender stereotypes of the period under study were extracted from these sources. The total volume of the reviewed material was 4716 pages, 30 issues of periodicals.
To solve the tasks set, the contextual and qualitative-quantitative method is used in the work. Contextual analysis consists in the study of the analyzed units within the framework of a necessary and sufficient fragment of the text, which makes it possible to extract additional features of the studied stereotypes. Qualitative-quantitative methods make it possible to visualize the ratio of gender stereotypes in modern American society.
The theoretical significance of the thesis lies in the further development of the gender direction in linguistics. The study of gender stereotypes on modern material made it possible to make sure that gender problematization can be used within different cultures, regardless of time and place.
The practical value of the work lies in the use of the research results in special courses on gender studies, linguistic and regional studies, for the development of textbooks on gender linguistics, and in practical classes on the press.
The structure and scope of this thesis work are determined by the goal and research objectives. The volume of the thesis is 118 pages. All diploma research consists of Introduction, two chapters, Conclusion and List of used literature, consisting of 65 titles. Tables are included in the text of the work.
The first chapter of the thesis, which is a theoretical study of the issue, touches upon the problems of determining the main categories and concepts in the framework of gender linguistics. A separate paragraph of the first chapter highlights the question of the role of feminist criticism of language in the development of gender studies. An important place in the first chapter is occupied by the theoretical substantiation of gender stereotypes in society, created by the media.
In the second chapter of the thesis research, gender-oriented vocabulary is classified, and an attempt is made to highlight the universal and culturally specific features of gender stereotypes. Interpretation of gender stereotypes in the context of modern American society is made.
In the Conclusion, conclusions are drawn on the results obtained and prospects for possible further research are outlined.

1 Basic concepts of gender linguistics

1.1 The concept of gender

Gender linguistics (linguistic gender studies) is a scientific direction within interdisciplinary gender studies that studies gender (sociocultural gender, understood as a conventional construct, relatively autonomous from biological sex) with the help of a linguistic conceptual apparatus.
The formation and intensive development of gender linguistics falls on the last decades of the twentieth century, which is associated with the development of postmodern philosophy and the change of the scientific paradigm in the humanities.
In the most general terms, gender linguistics studies two groups of questions:
1) reflection of gender in the language: nominative system, lexicon, syntax, gender category and a number of similar objects. The purpose of this approach is to describe and explain how the presence of people of different sexes is manifested in the language, what assessments are attributed to men and women and in what semantic areas they are most common, what linguistic mechanisms underlie this process.
2) verbal and, in general, communicative behavior of men and women: it is studied by what means and in what contexts gender is constructed, how social factors and the communicative environment (for example, the Internet) influence this process. In this area, the theory of sociocultural determinism (accidentalism) and the theory of biodeterminism (essentialism) compete to this day. Proponents of the sociobiological concept of gender consider the behavior of women and men, in particular communicative, depending on the genetic predisposition and the results of evolution; emphasize the hypothesis of significant differences; using neurophysiology data, they talk about psychophysiological differences, thus proving differences in the structure and functions of brain regions, and therefore in speech processes; gender differences are called sex differences.) Biodeterminism is the principle of considering phenomena, in which biological natural factors are considered to be decisive for human characteristics, in this case gender or sex. For the first time, biodeterminism arose in the middle of the 19th century in the context of Darwin's theory of natural selection, initially to explain the peculiarity of the behavior of living systems, to which people later began to be attributed.
Biodeterminists argue that there are global differences between the two gender groups, both physiologically and socially. Today, sociodeterministic and biodeterministic approaches are opposed, and a number of modern researchers consider gender to be a "biological imperative" .
Language data obtained by gender linguistics is one of the main sources of information about the nature and dynamics of the construction of gender as a product of culture and social relations. Postmodern philosophy sees in language the main tool for constructing a picture of the world, arguing that what a person perceives as reality is in fact a linguistic image, a socially and linguistically constructed phenomenon, the result of the language system we inherit. But language itself is not the product of some higher mind. It is a consequence of human experience, primarily concrete, bodily. Language provides the key to the study of the mechanisms of constructing gender identity. Although gender is not a linguistic category (with the exception of sociolinguistics and, to some extent, psycholinguistics), the analysis of language structures provides information about the role played by gender in a particular culture, what behavioral norms for men and women are fixed in different types of texts, and how understanding of gender norms, masculinity and femininity in time, what style features can be classified as predominantly feminine or predominantly masculine, how masculinity and femininity are comprehended in different languages and cultures, how gender affects language acquisition, with what fragments and thematic areas of language pictures of the world she is connected. The study of the language also makes it possible to establish by what linguistic mechanisms the manipulation of gender stereotypes becomes possible.
So, the English term gender, meaning the grammatical category of gender, was removed from the linguistic context and transferred to the research field of other sciences - social philosophy, sociology, history, as well as to political discourse.
Gender is a concept used in the social sciences to reflect the socio-cultural aspect of a person's gender. Gender - social organization of sexual differences; cultural characteristics of behavior that corresponds to gender in a given society at a given time. Gender is a social construction of the system of socio-gender relations. Gender is "a conscious meaning of sex, a socio-cultural manifestation of the fact of being a man or a woman, mastered characteristics, expectations and patterns of behavior" (V. Shapiro). Gender is "a set of social roles; it is a costume, a mask, a straitjacket in which men and women perform their unequal dances" (G. Lerner). Not sex, but gender determines the psychological qualities, abilities, activities, professions and occupations of men and women through the system of education, traditions and customs, legal and ethical norms. Unlike the Russian language, which has one word associated with this issue: "gender", - the English language has two concepts: sex (sex) - sex and gender (gender) - a kind of "sociopol". Both concepts are used to carry out the so-called horizontal socio-sexual stratification of society, in contrast to vertical ones: class, estate and similar stratifications. Sex stands for biological sex and refers to "nativist" constructs summarizing the biological differences between men and women. Gender, in turn, is a social construction that denotes the behavior of social strategies. Sex and gender are at different poles in a person's life. Sex is the starting position, a person is born with it. Sex is determined by biological factors: hormonal status, features of the flow of biochemical processes, genetic differences, anatomy. Gender is a construct of another pole. This is a kind of result of the socialization of a person in society in accordance with his gender. Men and women are cultural products of their societies. The decisive factor in the formation of differences is culture: “a woman is not born, she is made.
Stereotypes about gender reflect society's views on the behavior that is expected of men or women; gender is a system of differences structured under the influence of culture. It is, in some way, related to biological differences, but not limited to them. Gender is the social organization of sexual differences, although this does not mean that gender reflects or implements fixed and natural physical differences between women and men; rather, gender is knowledge that establishes meanings for bodily differences. These meanings vary across cultures, social groups, and times. Sexual difference cannot be seen except as the functioning of our knowledge of the body: this knowledge is not "absolute, pure", it cannot be isolated from its application in a wide chain of discursive contexts. Sexual difference is not the usual cause from which social organization can eventually grow. On the contrary, it is itself a changeable organization which itself must be explained. Man in his evolution - both in phylo- and ontogeny - moves from sex to gender.
A. N. Makhmutova contrasts biological sex and gender as given and created: biological sex is what we are by birth, a “fact”. In this case, one may or may not be a “man” or “woman”, but one cannot become. Gender, on the other hand, is an acquired property, where being a “man in society” or “a woman in society” means having certain qualities, performing certain socio-gender roles, therefore gender is an “artifact”. Gender scientists emphasize that gender is a dynamic phenomenon, changing in time and space, and not static or fixed. In the figurative expression of Victoria Bergval, “gender is more of a verb than a noun.”
At the Beijing Gender Symposium in 1995, five human gender profiles were identified, namely: feminine, masculine, homosexual, lesbian, and androgynous. Obviously, the enumerated gender concepts are based on the conceptualization of human experience and the “corporeal metaphor”. These categories reflect the classifying activity of human consciousness, derived from experience. The presence of two biological types of people - men and women - motivated the name of the metaphysical categories "femininity" and "masculinity". The existence of people of homosexual orientation made it possible to single out the gender categories "homosexuality" and "lesbianity". The mental and physiological originality of hermaphrodites, transsexuals, people belonging to the Hijra caste in India, as well as the problems and features of their socialization, are combined in the term "androgyny". “Androgyny is only and not just a combination of male and female characteristics, but the transformation of the main personality traits and consciousness from male to female and vice versa.”
Gendrologists focus their attention on such an important concept as gender identity - the basic structure of social identity that characterizes a person (individual) in terms of his belonging to a male or female group, and most significantly, how a person categorizes himself.
The concept of identity was first presented in detail by E. Erickson. From the point of view of E. Erickson, identity is based on the awareness of the temporal extent of one's own existence, involves the perception of one's own integrity, allows a person to determine the degree of his similarity with different people while simultaneously seeing his uniqueness and uniqueness. At the moment, they consider social and personal (personal) identity (Tajfel Y.; Turner J.; Ageev V.S.; Yadov V.A. and others). Since the 80s of the XX century, in line with the Tajfel-Turner theory of social identity, gender identity has been interpreted as one of the substructures of a person's social identity (there are also ethnic, professional, civil, etc. structures of social identity) .
Gender identity is a broader concept than gender identity, since gender includes not only the role aspect, but also, for example, the image of a person as a whole (from hairstyles to toilet features). Also, the concept of gender identity is not synonymous with the concept of sexual identity (gender is not so much a biological concept as a cultural, social one). Sexual identity can be described in terms of the characteristics of self-perception and self-representation of a person in the context of his sexual behavior in the structure of gender identity.
Gender identity means that a person accepts the definitions of masculinity and femininity that exist within their culture. Gender ideology is a system of ideas through which gender differences and gender stratification are socially justified, including in terms of "natural" differences or supernatural beliefs. Gender differentiation is defined as the process by which biological differences between men and women are given social significance and used as a means of social classification. Gender role is understood as the fulfillment of certain social prescriptions - that is, gender-appropriate behavior in the form of speech, manners, clothing, gestures, and so on. When the social production of gender becomes the subject of research, it is usually considered how gender is constructed through the institutions of socialization, division of labor, family, and mass media. The main topics are gender roles and gender stereotypes, gender identity, problems of gender stratification and inequality.
Gender as a stratification category is considered in the aggregate of other stratification categories (class, race, nationality, age). Gender stratification is the process by which gender becomes the basis of social stratification.
So, we see that the concept of gender, in essence, also means a complex socio-cultural process of formation (construction) by society of differences in male and female roles, behavior, mental and emotional characteristics, and the result itself is a social construct of gender. Important elements in creating gender differences are the opposition of "male" and "female" and the subordination of the feminine to the masculine.
According to modern scientists, in the paradigm of modern scientific knowledge, gender becomes the same key concept as class, clan and nation. Exploring the structures of language associated with gender, linguists today proceed from its social and cultural, and not just natural, conditioning. The specific content of the words "woman" and "man" should be determined each time depending on the given cultural context, and not be introduced ready-made. Biologically, differences do not provide a universal basis for constructing social definitions, since woman and man are products of social relationships. Consequently, when social relations change, the categories of "masculinity" and "femininity" also change.

1.1.2 Masculinity and femininity

Masculinity (masculinity) is a complex of attitudes, characteristics of behavior, opportunities and expectations that determine the social practice of a particular group, united on the basis of sex. In other words, masculinity is what is added to the anatomy to produce a male gender role.
In the field of modern social sciences, there are different conceptions of masculinity, which range from essentialist to social constructivist.
The essentialist approach considers masculinity as a derivative of the biological difference between a man and a woman, that is, as a natural category and, thus, masculinity is defined as a set of physical qualities, moral standards and behavioral characteristics inherent in a man from birth. According to this approach, masculinity is what a man is and what, accordingly, constitutes his natural essence. This concept has been subjected to considerable criticism as a result of the development of comparative studies of the gender systems of societies that differ in economic and cultural parameters, and today is a vivid example of vulgar biological determinism.
The social constructivist approach defines masculinity in terms of gender expectations. Masculinity is what a man should be and what is expected of him. According to this approach, masculinity is constructed both by society as a whole and by each individual male. The social construct of masculinity is derived from the gender ideology of society and is formed under the influence of traditional views on the male role, modern economic realities and the sociocultural situation. At the individual level, masculinity is constructed as a gender identity in accordance with the requirements of gender norms that prevail in a particular social group, and is realized through interactive actions. The concept of masculinity is important for both gender and women's and men's studies. The study of models of masculinity makes it possible to better understand the main components of the gender ideology of society and the principles of functioning of the institutions of patriarchal domination, as well as to find ways to change the existing gender order.
Following ordinary consciousness, psychoanalytic theories often reduce masculinity to sexuality or describe it predominantly in sexological terms, which is a strong simplification. The psychoanalytic paradigm makes it possible to express and describe the subjective experiences of men associated with the "crisis of masculinity", but concrete historical social realities and especially the mechanisms of social change elude it.
Starting from the 1970s, first in the West, and then in the USSR, they began to talk and write a lot about the fact that the traditional male lifestyle, and, possibly, the very psychological properties of a man do not correspond to modern social conditions and that men have to pay for its dominant position too high a price. However, the causes of this "crisis of masculinity" and possible ways to overcome it are interpreted in different and even opposite ways.
Some authors see the problem in the fact that men as a gender class or social group lag behind the requirements of the time, their attitudes, activities and especially group self-awareness, ideas about what a man can and should be, do not correspond to changed social conditions and are subject to radical change and change. perestroika. That is, men should look and move forward.
Other authors, on the contrary, see social processes that undermine male hegemony as a threat to the age-old "natural" foundations of human civilization and call on men, as traditional defenders of stability and order, to put an end to this degradation and return society back to a calm and reliable past.
By themselves, these disputes are not unique. Since men were the dominant force in society, at least its public sphere, the normative canon of masculinity and the image of a "real man", like all other fundamental values - "true friendship", "eternal love", etc., have always been idealized and projected into the past.
During periods of rapid historical change, when old forms of gender relations of power became inadequate, these nostalgic feelings became especially strong, ideologues began to write about the feminization of men and the disappearance of "true masculinity."
In the last third of the 20th century, the historical crisis of the usual gender order began to cause growing concern and discontent, both men and women. If in the 19th century Since the so-called women's question has appeared in the European public consciousness, now we can talk about the emergence of a special "male question".
The ideologists of the movement saw the main source of all male problems and difficulties in the limited male sexual role and the psychology corresponding to it, proving that not only women, but also men themselves suffer from sexist stereotypes. : "Male liberation," wrote Jack Sawyer in 1970, "seeks to help break down sex-role stereotypes that consider "being a man" and "being a woman" as statuses to be achieved through appropriate behavior. Men can neither play freely, neither cry freely, nor be tender, nor show weakness, because these properties are "feminine, not "masculine". A more complete concept of man recognizes all men and women as potentially strong and weak, active and passive, these human properties do not belong exclusively to one sex.
Best-selling men's authors of the 1970s Warren Farrell, Mark Fagen Fasto, Robert Brannon and others argued that in order to eliminate male difficulties, it is necessary first of all to change the socialization of boys, figuratively speaking - to allow them to cry.
Since most of these people were psychologists and middle-class, the social structure and the associated gender inequality, and especially the inequality in the position of different categories of men, remained in the background, and calls for a "change in masculinity" were reduced to an argument in favor of a wider choice of lifestyles, expanding the range of acceptable emotional manifestations and opportunities for greater self-actualization for men. The exception was the social psychologist Joseph Plec, who associated male psychological qualities with the struggle for power and its retention.
However, the policy, the pathos of which is aimed at the abolition of the privileged position of men, cannot mobilize the broad male masses under its banners. Although the ideas of "male liberation" were quite widespread in the United States, England, and especially in Australia, this movement did not become a serious political force. Men's organizations of this type are numerous, but few in number, represented mainly by middle-class men with university education and left-liberal views.
By their nature, these are, as a rule, "soft" men, whose physical and mental appearance sometimes does not correspond to the stereotypical image of a "real man" - a strong and aggressive macho. The opinion that these are predominantly gays is not true (gays and bisexuals make up, according to various estimates, from 10 to 30%). However, interest in male issues is often stimulated by personal difficulties (absence of a father, unpopularity among the boys in the class, unsuccessful marriage, fatherhood difficulties, etc.). For many of these men, social and political activity is psychologically compensatory.
Among ordinary men, interest in the problems of masculinity is low. Some US universities have been teaching the course "Men and Masculinity" for more than a decade. It would seem that he should be interested in young men. But 80 - 90% of his listeners are women, and among the few men representatives of ethnic or sexual minorities predominate. The reason for this is not that young men do not have problems (books on these topics sell well), but that they are embarrassed to admit it.
According to Bligh and his like-minded people, the main task of our time is to direct men on the path of spiritual search in order to help them restore the basic male values they have lost. In all ancient societies, there were special rituals and initiations through which adult males helped adolescent boys to establish themselves in their deep, natural masculinity. The urban industrial society severed the ties between different generations of men, replacing them with alienated, competitive, bureaucratic relationships, and in so doing tore men apart from each other and from their own masculinity. The place of healthy male rituals is occupied, on the one hand, by the destructive, aggressive hyper-masculinity of street gangs, and, on the other hand, by femininity that softens and kills male potential.
For all their differences, men's movements do not represent a real and organized political force. There is more emotion and ideology in the debate about the crisis of masculinity than calm reflection. Socially active men find other channels of self-realization for themselves, while the rest are indifferent to these issues. Moreover, the applied aspects of the topic - men's health, sexuality, parenthood pedagogy, etc. - widely covered in commercial publications and mass media.
Femininity (femininity, femininity) - characteristics associated with the female sex, or characteristic forms of behavior expected from a woman in a given society, or "a socially defined expression of what is considered as positions inherent in a woman." Traditionally, femininity was assumed to be biologically determined, and such traits as passivity, responsiveness, gentleness, preoccupation with motherhood, caring, emotionality, etc. were attributed to her. These ideas were in accordance with the relationship of women to the private, and not also to the public sphere.
But feminist studies have challenged the conditionality of sociocultural characteristics and processes by biological differences: femininity is not so much natural as it is constructed from childhood - a girl is condemned if she is not feminine enough. According to French feminist theorists (E. Cixous, Y. Kristeva), femininity is an arbitrary category that patriarchy endowed women with.
There is also an idea that femininity is a special "equal-but-different" opposite of masculinity, which is also incorrect, since masculine traits (fortitude, self-sufficiency, courage, etc.) are considered valuable for all people, including women, while feminine traits are desirable only for women in terms of their attractiveness to men. Radical feminists believe that, therefore, the essence of femininity is to place limits on women, which in the end it is men who find useful, pleasant and safe for themselves.
Beginning in the 1970s, feminists first rejected femininity as reproducing the secondary status of women in favor of androgyny, but then this position began to be questioned by them. Psychologist J. Miller suggested that such traits of femininity as emotionality, vulnerability and intuition are not a weakness, but a special strength that can become essential for building a better society, and that men could develop these traits in themselves. The modern crisis of masculinity indirectly testifies in favor of this position.
"Androcentrism can be seen as a specific configuration of power relations that is neither inevitable nor universal...". Androcentrism is a deep cultural tradition that reduces universal human subjectivity (universal human subjectivities) to a single male norm, represented as universal objectivity, while other subjectivities, and primarily female, are represented as subjectivity proper, as a deviation from the norm, as marginal. Thus, androcentrism is not just a view of the world from a male point of view, but the presentation of male normative ideas and life models as unified universal social norms and life models. Femininity within androcentric culture is defined as marginal in relation to the existing symbolic order in which masculinity is the norm. .
There are differences in the images of American and Russian men and women. To understand why the difference is so significant, the thesis of multiple masculinities put forward by the Australian sociologist R. Connell helps. Masculinity is not something homogeneous and unified, on the contrary, we can talk about the simultaneous existence of different types of masculinity. Similarly, we can talk about the existence of many types of femininity. Types of masculinity and femininity are not the same in different cultures, in different periods of history; they differ depending on status characteristics (ethnicity, professional status, age, etc.).

1.1.3 Androgyny and its manifestations

The idea that one person can combine both masculine and feminine qualities was first expressed by Carl Jung in the essay "Anima and Animus", modern psychology paid little attention to it until, in the early 70s. American psychologist Sandra Bem did not introduce the concept of androgyny - a combination of masculine and feminine traits in an individual. The androgynous personality absorbs the best of both sex roles. Since then, numerous studies have shown that masculinity and femininity are not opposed to each other, and a person with characteristics strictly corresponding to his gender turns out to be little adapted to life. Thus, low-masculine women and highly feminine men are characterized by helplessness, passivity, anxiety, and a tendency to depression. Highly masculine women and men are characterized by difficulties in establishing and maintaining interpersonal contacts. A high percentage of sexual and psychological disharmony and sexual disorders was revealed in young married couples, where partners adhered to traditional models of female and male behavior. At the same time, androgyny was found to be associated with high self-esteem, the ability to be persistent, motivation for achievement, effective performance of the parental role, and an internal sense of well-being. An androgynous personality has a rich set of gender - role behavior and uses it flexibly depending on dynamically changing social situations .
Manifestations of androgyny are also hermaphroditism and transsexualism. Hermaphrodite?zm (hermaphroditismus; Greek Hermaphrodites is the son of Hermes and Aphrodite, combining the signs of male and female; synonym: bisexualism, intersexuality. bisexuality) the presence in the same individual of signs of both sexes. There are true hermaphrodism (gonadal) and false (pseudohermaphroditism), suggesting that the subject has signs of a sex opposite to the gonadal sex. True hermaphrodism is an extremely rare disease (only about 150 cases have been described in the world literature). False hermaphrodism includes all forms of testicular and extragenital (adrenal, drug, etc.) pathology of sexual development.
Transsexualism is a persistent discrepancy between a person's sexual identity and his genetic sex. The term transsexualism was proposed by H. Benjamin, who in 1953 described this condition from a scientific point of view and defined it as “a pathological condition of the individual, consisting in the polar divergence of the biological and civil sex on the one hand, with the mental sex on the other hand » .
Transsexualism is found in almost all ethnic groups, despite significant cultural differences, which may serve as indirect evidence of its biological basis.
Janice Raymond was the first to subject transsexuality to feminist analysis. In The Transgender Empire (1979), she writes that transsexuality is not a universal problem, as it might seem, but only a problem of masculinity. She believes that her root cause is patriarchy, in which there was a division of sex roles and the fact that the image of a woman is created by men was ideologically fixed.
The paradoxes of changing gender roles, deviations from generally accepted norms make a strong impression. Studies of bisexuality, homosexuality demonstrate the diversity of forms of human existence, the complexity and infinity of the search for "I", one's individuality, one's identity.
However, the smoothing of the male-female dichotomy in the consciousness and behavior of a person is fraught with a certain threat of losing a positive social identity, as the institutions of the family, school, politics, the media, and the labor market continue to reinforce gender-role prescriptions. The problem of symmetrical construction of feminine and masculine in culture requires significant changes in the structure of social institutions.
Modern gender theory does not try to challenge the existence of certain biological, social, psychological differences between specific women and men. She simply argues that the fact of differences in itself is not as important as their sociocultural assessment and interpretation, as well as the construction of a power system based on these differences. The gender approach is based on the idea that it is not the biological or physical differences between men and women that are important, but the cultural and social significance society attaches to these differences. The basis of gender studies is not just a description of the difference in statuses, roles and other aspects of the lives of men and women, but an analysis of the power and dominance established in society through gender roles and relationships.

1.2 The role and place of feminist ideology in the development of linguistic studies of gender

“Feminism is a very difficult and painstaking work. This is an attempt to change behavior and public opinion. People don't like it when we challenge their ideas, criticize their traditional way of life. They always resist when we offer them a new model of behavior or way of thinking. Recognizing that there is discrimination within you is a painful, long and difficult process.”
It is quite difficult to define what feminism is, given the diversity and continuous development of this phenomenon. The answer to the question - what is feminism? - can hardly be unambiguous. "From the day we begin to precisely define feminism, it will lose its vitality." In practice, feminism can take many forms, in theory it criticizes itself, endlessly evolving and questioning everything, giving few definitive answers. There are many feminisms, and their number is increasing. The definition and certainty of feminism depend on the context (political, social, economic, theoretical, etc.) in which it develops, on the rise and fall of the women's movement.
"There is no single feminist theory or liberation group. Feminist ideas have developed from several different philosophical belief systems, so the women's movement is made up of various parallel orientations."
"While there are almost as many feminisms as there are feminists, there does not seem to be a cultural consensus of relative representation at present... As a verbal sign of difference and plurality, 'feminisms' is a good term for designation, not for consensus" .
Researchers and participants in the movement understand feminism differently, giving it either narrow or broad definitions. In the broadest sense, feminism is "the active desire of women to change their position in society." A feminist is any person, male or female, whose ideas and actions meet three criteria: 1) they recognize the possibility of a woman interpreting her life experience, 2) they are not satisfied with the situation in which there is an institutional inequality of women, 3) they seek to end this inequality. Feminism can be understood as the struggle of women, and the ideology of equality of rights, and social change, and the deliverance of men and women from stereotypical roles, and the improvement of the way of life, and active actions.
Gender studies, which are one of the fastest growing areas in modern humanities and social sciences, originated within the framework of feminist theory. As Joan W. Scott points out, the term "gender" in its modern usage originated with American feminists. This concept is associated with the denial of biological determinism contained in the terms "sex" (sex"), "sex differences" ("sexual difference"). In the definition of Teresa de Lauretis, "gender" is a representation, an expression (representation); the expression of gender is its construction (including through art and culture); the construction of gender occurred in the Victorian era, it continues today, not only in the media, schools, courts, families, but also in academic communities, avant-garde art and radical theories, especially in feminism Paradoxically, the construction of gender is affected by its deconstruction.
Feminist criticism of language (feminist linguistics) is a kind of direction in linguistics, its main goal is to expose and overcome the male dominance reflected in the language in social and cultural life. It appeared in the late 1960s and early 1970s in connection with the emergence of the New Women's Movement in the United States and Germany.
The first work of feminist criticism of language was the work of R. Lakoff "Language and the Place of Woman", which substantiated the androcentrism of language and the inferiority of the image of a woman in the picture of the world reproduced in the language. The specifics of feminist criticism of language include its pronounced polemical nature, the development of its own linguistic methodology, as well as a number of attempts to influence language policy and reform the language in the direction of eliminating the sexism contained in it.
Originating in the United States, feminist criticism of language was most widely spread in Europe in Germany with the advent of the works of S. Tremel-Plotz and L. Push (Pusch). The works of Y. Kristeva also played a significant role in the spread of feminist criticism of language.
The main goal of feminist literary criticism is to re-evaluate the classical canon of "great" literary texts in terms of 1) female authorship, 2) female reading, and 3) so-called female writing styles. In general, feminist literary criticism can be philosophically and theoretically oriented in different ways, but one thing remains common to all its varieties - this is the recognition of a special way of female existence in the world and the corresponding female representational strategies. Hence the main demand of feminist literary criticism for the need for a feminist revision of traditional views on literature and writing practices, as well as the thesis for the need to create a social history of women's literature.
There are two currents in the feminist critique of language: the first refers to the study of language in order to identify asymmetries in the system of language directed against women. These asymmetries have come to be known as linguistic sexism. We are talking about patriarchal stereotypes fixed in the language and imposing a certain picture of the world on its speakers, in which women are assigned a secondary role and mainly negative qualities are attributed. It is investigated what images of women are fixed in the language, in what semantic fields women are represented and what connotations accompany this representation. The linguistic mechanism of "involvement" in the grammatical masculine gender is also analyzed: the language prefers masculine forms if people of both sexes are meant. In the opinion of representatives of this trend, the mechanism of "involvement" contributes to ignoring women in the picture of the world. Studies of language and gender asymmetries in it are based on the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis: language is not only a product of society, but also a means of shaping its thinking and mentality. This allows representatives of feminist language criticism to argue that all languages that function in patriarchal cultures are masculine languages and are built on the basis of a masculine picture of the world. Based on this, feminist language criticism insists on rethinking and changing language norms, considering the conscious regulation of language and language policy as the goal of its research.
The second direction of feminist criticism of language is the study of the characteristics of communication in same-sex and mixed groups, which is based on the assumption that on the basis of patriarchal stereotypes reflected in the language, different strategies for the speech behavior of men and women develop. Particular attention is paid to the expression in speech acts of relations of power and subordination and related communicative failures (interruption of the speaker, inability to complete the statement, loss of control over the subject of discourse, silence, etc.).
The effect of feminist literary criticism on literary theory and culture at the end of the 20th century was truly stunning: many texts by female authors (including minor and forgotten ones) were discovered and studied, not only in the traditions of the leading literatures of the world, but also in the literary traditions of various countries. ; a significant number of male and female authors of classical literature have been subjected to feminist analysis, from ancient times to the present day; many new interpretations of the classical literary tradition have been proposed; a new apparatus of literary theory has been created, enriched with the apparatus of feminist literary criticism, new strategies for analyzing literary texts have been introduced and are being used. It can be said that today there is no practice of reading a literary or philosophical text that would not take into account its possible gender or feminist interpretation. And most importantly, a new vast academic discipline has been created - feminist literary criticism, within which texts related to women's writing, women's style or women's way of being are produced.
The development of global mass media, especially electronic ones, serves as an important tool for the globalization of gender. They circulate stereotyped gender images that are best suited to market demands. But a greater role than the standardization of culture is played by a historically long process - the export of institutions. Institutions not only offer their gender regimes and their definitions of femininity and masculinity - they create the conditions for special types of social practices and set their patterns.

1.3 Gender stereotypes in the media

The term stereotype was introduced in 1922 by the American sociologist W. Lippman to describe the process of forming public opinion. Since then, the term has been successfully used to characterize any stable image that develops in the public or group consciousness, the use of which in many ways "facilitates" people's perception of new information (L.G. Titarenko). A stereotype is a judgment, in a sharply simplifying and generalizing form, with emotional coloring, attributing certain properties to a certain class of persons or, conversely, denying them these properties. Stereotypes are considered as special forms of information processing that facilitate the orientation of a person in the world. The features contained in stereotypes are used by speakers to assess whether objects belong to a particular class and to attribute certain characteristics to them. Y. Levada calls stereotypes ready-made templates, "moulds into which streams of public opinion are poured."
Stereotypes have a generalizing function, consisting in ordering information: an affective function (the opposition of "one's own" and "alien"); social function (the distinction between "intra-group" and "out-of-group"), which leads to social categorization and the formation of structures by which people are guided in everyday life.
According to the figurative expression of M. Pickering, the most important function of a stereotype is to clearly define where the “fence” passes and who is on the other side of this fence. Researchers agree on the definition of stereotyping as a process of attributing characteristics to individuals based on their group affiliation, and stereotypes as a set of ideas about the characteristics (attributes) of a group of people. Among the various types of stereotypes, ethnic stereotypes (shared schematized images of ethnic groups) and gender stereotypes (images of masculinity and femininity) occupy a special place because of the extreme importance for a person of his gender and national identity. With regard to gender stereotypes, one should also take into account the fact that ideas about male and female are rooted in every national culture, which results in the perception of gender differences as natural and perfectly legitimate.
Gender stereotypes are generalized ideas (beliefs) formed in culture about how men and women actually behave. The term should be distinguished from the concept of gender role, which means a set of expected patterns of behavior (norms) for men and women. The appearance of gender stereotypes is due to the fact that the model of gender relations has historically been built in such a way that gender differences were located above the individual, qualitative differences in the personality of a man and a woman. Already in Plato one can find the conviction that all women are different from men: "... by nature, both a woman and a man can take part in all affairs, but a woman is weaker than a man in everything" (Plato, "Republic").
In philosophical, psychological, cultural texts, gender stereotypes can be traced. So, Aristotle in his work "On the Birth of Animals" stated: "The feminine and masculine principles are fundamentally different in their purpose: if the first is identified with the corporeal, with matter, then the second - with the spiritual, with the form." A similar view is found in N. A. Berdyaev, V. F. Ern, V. I. Ivanov. Many authors interpret the masculine principle as initiating, the feminine as receptive; the first is initiative, the second is receptive, the first is active, the second is passive, the first is dynamic, the second is static. Gender stereotypes are a special case of a stereotype and reveal all its properties. Gender stereotypes are culturally and socially conditioned opinions about the qualities, attributes and norms of behavior of both sexes and their reflection in the language. Gender stereotyping is fixed in the language, is closely related to the expression of evaluation and affects the formation of expectations from representatives of one or another gender of a certain type of behavior. Ideas about masculinity and femininity and their inherent properties take place in every culture, they are given a significant space in rituals, folklore, mythological consciousness, "a naive picture of the world." At the same time, stereotyping and the value scale of gender are not the same in different cultures. The social roles of men and women also differ. They are usually regulated; such regulation is stereotyped, and then functions in the collective consciousness according to the "right/wrong" scheme. The same actions of a person, depending on his gender, are given different content in different cultures; the same content finds different expression in actions. The stereotype plays the role of a program of behavior.
The gender stereotype was historically formed in the traditional patriarchal culture, which assigned the main role in social, economic and political life to a man. The main, key principle of the stereotypical representation of the representatives of the male gender is the allocation of his gender as the most important, key social characteristic, as the leading status indicator that determines the dominant position of men in the system of power relations. The very belonging to men makes any representative of this gender community more highly valued in public opinion than any representative of the opposite gender.
The sociocultural conditioning of sex, its ritualization and institutionalization make it legitimate to study gender stereotypes and their reflection in the language. Each of the sexes in a given culture is assigned a number of mandatory norms and assessments that regulate gender behavior. This regulation is reflected in the language in the form of stable combinations, for example: “Men are the stronger sex. Men should be bosses and women should work for them. A woman "s place is in the home. It" s a man "s world". Language, therefore, is one of the most important sources of knowledge about gender stereotyping and its change over time, since gender stereotypes can be "calculated" based on the analysis of language structures.
The entire inventory of gender stereotypes is recorded in the language, but the frequency of their use in speech is not the same. Communication analysis makes it possible to identify the most frequent stereotypes. The variety of gender stereotypes makes it possible to manipulate them. This is especially true of communication systems aimed at a collective addressee, primarily the mass media. An analysis of texts addressed to a collective addressee and texts of various situations of communication allows us to find out which gender stereotypes are most common in a given historical period and how their dynamics changes in diachrony.
Mass media are the most powerful factor in the formation of public consciousness. They reinforce certain concepts and stereotypes in public opinion. Today, in the modern world, the pace of life has noticeably increased, and the flow of information has increased, so stereotypes are of great importance for the normal functioning of society and a person in it, because, first of all, they perform the function of "economy of thinking", contribute to the well-known "reduction" of the process of cognition and understanding what is happening in the world and around a person, as well as making the necessary decisions. Their role in communication processes in general is extremely large: they consolidate information about homogeneous phenomena, facts, objects, processes, people, etc.; allow people to exchange information, understand each other, participate in joint activities, develop common views, the same value orientation, a single worldview; accelerate the occurrence of a behavioral response based primarily on the emotional acceptance or rejection of information. The stereotype contributes to the creation and preservation of a positive "I-image", the protection of group values, the explanation of social relations, the preservation and transmission of cultural and historical experience. Gender stereotypes perform all of the above functions, accumulating the experience of generations regarding the behavior of women and men, their character traits, moral qualities, etc. .
Journalism, like any manifestation of mass culture and mass consciousness, is impossible without stereotyped, stable ideas about what is right and wrong, bad and righteous, positive and negative. These stereotypes are made up of stable ideas that go back to the precepts of world religions, folklore ideas and national experience. Stereotypes tend to change over time, reflect the political interests and ideology of states, national or international groupings and parties, as well as the ideas of everyday consciousness that are characteristic of the era. They also reflect the moods, views and prejudices of the media itself - the journalist. In this sense, no message is absolutely neutral (which journalism researchers from various countries have long agreed on) - it inevitably not only reflects the state of public consciousness and ideology, but also creates public opinion every day and every second; offers role models, way of thinking and attitudes to reality. The well-known words of V. I. Lenin that "a newspaper is a collective propagandist, agitator and organizer" to a large extent reflect the state of modern media around the world, be it the New York Times, Asahi, Vseukrainskie Vedomosti or Nezavisimaya Gazeta, SNN, Radio Jamaica, Reuters, or Internet news sites. One cannot fail to say that, being in close contact with literature, journalism reproduced the images of men and women created by writers from different countries and peoples, developed them, turned them into clichés. The "Turgenev Girls", the Oblomovs and the Chichikovs, who have been successfully existing in the modern press for more than a hundred years, are a living example of this. Gender representations in journalism at the end of the last century reflected the public discussion about the emancipation of women, women's education and social activities, respectively, dividing newspapers and magazines into two camps - supporters and opponents of changing the traditional place of women in modern society. Gender stereotypes in the media are inseparable from the ideal of a woman, as well as the idea of a woman's destiny, which dominates in a given period. For example, in the media of pre-revolutionary Russia, as a positive ideal, the image of a patriarchal mother, a salon owner, a respectable Christian, dominated. In the Soviet period, in accordance with the socialist ideas of women's active participation in society, the type of "worker and mother" (N. Krupskaya's definition), tractor driver, doctor and activist who builds a happy future and is ready to make any sacrifices for the good of the country dominated. In the post-Soviet period (and in connection with the dominance of neoliberal ideology), all socialist ideas (including the idea of women's active participation in society) were rejected, and the idea of "the natural destiny of a woman" as a mother and wife again began to dominate. Women's organizations, associations of creative women of various professions have been actively working in recent years to overcome gender stereotypes in the media and culture.
As a result of the seminar "Women and the Media", held at the FOYO Center for Journalism in Kalmar, Sweden, in June 1995 in preparation for the Beijing Forum, a declaration was adopted, which stated: "The images of women in the world media are mainly consist of several basic stereotypes: the victim and the beast of burden, the sex object, the greedy consumer, the housewife, the protector of traditional values and gender roles, and the "super woman" torn between career and domestic work. often as "no one's fault", and they themselves appear simply as "victims of circumstances"; these stereotyped images have little in common with real life.
When a woman is presented as a victim, the first task is to show the causes and roots of the situation, especially those that are somehow related to injustice and violence against a woman. In addition, the intention is confirmed to create such images of women that would reflect their contribution, strategy and activities in building a just, humane and stable life on the entire planet."
In the United States, a symposium on "Are American Beauty Standards Outdated" in 1995 discussed the widely publicized notion of female beauty standards, a certain constructed image that all women should aspire to conform to, met with sharp criticism in the women's media. Betty Friedan, in particular, noted that "our media is indebted to women of all generations, they simply must respond to the trend of the times, changing the strategy of forming tastes and reflecting the wonderful diversity of beauty and the desire for self-assertion, characteristic of American women, if they are not crushed oppression of real problems - poverty, fear of violence ".
It is the stereotypes of mass consciousness that are the most powerful barrier in establishing gender equality in society. A social stereotype is a schematic, standardized image or idea of a social phenomenon or object, usually emotionally colored and highly stable. Expresses the habitual attitude of a person to any phenomenon, formed under the influence of social conditions and previous experience; part of the installation. Stereotypes are synonymous with preconceived notions, false images. Gender stereotypes are internal attitudes regarding the place of men and women in society, their functions and social tasks. Stereotypes are the most insurmountable obstacle in the creation of fundamentally new relations in society and the transition to a qualitatively new democratic state.
The peculiarity of stereotypes is such that they penetrate so firmly into the subconscious that it is very difficult not only to overcome them, but also to realize them in general. Speaking of stereotypes, we can draw an analogy with an iceberg, only a small part of which is on the surface, which makes it extremely dangerous and destructive. Stereotypes have no less detrimental effect on all spheres of our life and, especially, on relationships with others. They are barriers to our happiness. We are all, to a greater or lesser extent, their hostages. Stereotypes are individual or mass. Stereotypes of mass consciousness are the biggest barrier in establishing equal positions of women and men in the political, economic and cultural spheres - gender equality.

1.4 Conclusions on the first chapter

1. Language data obtained by gender linguistics is one of the main sources of information about the nature and dynamics of the construction of gender as a product of culture and social relations. Language provides the key to the study of the mechanisms of constructing gender identity. Gender differentiation is defined as the process by which biological differences between men and women are given social significance and used as a means of social classification.
2. Masculinity is a complex of attitudes, characteristics of behavior, opportunities and expectations that determine the social practice of a particular group, united on the basis of sex. The "crisis of masculinity" is determined by the subjective experiences of men associated with the fact that men do not correspond to changed social conditions or the feminization of men and the disappearance of "true masculinity". Femininity - characteristics associated with the female sex, or characteristic forms of behavior expected from a woman in a given society. Types of masculinity and femininity are not the same in different cultures, in different periods of history; they differ depending on the status signs.
3. An androgynous personality absorbs all the best from both gender roles, has a rich set of gender-role behavior and flexibly uses it depending on dynamically changing social situations. Manifestations of androgyny are also hermaphroditism and transsexualism.
4. Feminism is understood as the struggle of women, and the ideology of equality of rights, and social changes, and the deliverance of men and women from stereotypical roles, and the improvement of the way of life, and active actions. The main goal of the feminist critique of language is to expose and overcome the male dominance reflected in language in social and cultural life.
5. Gender stereotypes - generalized ideas (beliefs) formed in culture about how men and women actually behave. Stereotypes tend to change over time, reflect the political interests and ideology of states, national or international groupings and parties, as well as the ideas of everyday consciousness that are characteristic of the era. The peculiarity of stereotypes is such that they penetrate so firmly into the subconscious that it is very difficult not only to overcome them, but also to realize them in general.

2 Reflection of gender stereotypes in the press

2.1 Visual gender-specific information in periodicals

The material of the study was the American periodicals "Blender", "Cosmopolitan", "People", "USA Today", "New York Times", "GQ Magazine" (30 issues for 2007-2009 with a total volume of 4716 pages were used). The choice of these publications is due to a number of reasons - these newspapers and magazines are among the most popular and most widely read in the United States. Their circulation ranges from 100,000 to 2,600,000 copies per month, many of these periodicals are available on the Internet in PDF format, which allows any user to download information for free. The magazines "Blender" and "People" are aimed at readers of different age categories, both men and women. The magazines contain publications of an entertaining and informational nature. “Cosmopolitan” is a magazine for women, as most of the material is aimed at readers - fashion, health, style and much more. "USA Today", "New York Times" - "serious" periodicals aimed at a wide audience, they contain information about political and economic events, both in the US and abroad. “GQ(Gentlemen Quarterly) Magazine” - a magazine for men, verbal and non-verbal information has a clearly masculine focus - fashion, cars, health.
The selection of the analyzed visual material was carried out according to its gender orientation using the continuous sampling method (a total of 286 articles containing images were selected, which accounted for about 80% of the total number of articles), and for its development, the method of qualitative-quantitative analysis was used as the main method (or content analysis).
Photographs were analyzed from visual information found in magazines, which were further considered taking into account the gender of the character: male, female and mixed photographs. In the course of the analysis, tables No. 1, 2 were compiled - the magazine “Cosmopolitan”, focused on women; №3,4 - magazine "GQ"; No. 5,6 - publications "Blender", "New York Times", "People", "USA Today", oriented to both men and women. These tables present the quantitative data of the study, which, in particular, is as follows:
Table #1
The occurrence of gender-oriented photographs in the magazine “Cosmopolitan” (in absolute numbers and in %)

It has been observed that women's photos appear on the pages of Cosmopolitan 4.2 times more often than men's, with a woman appearing in all sections, but most often in Beauty News (up to 8 photos per page), Real- Life Readers, Cosmo Look, Fun Fearless Fashion. On the pages of magazines there are often single photographs of women, where her physical virtues are emphasized, less often a woman is depicted in the family circle, with children in an apartment, at home. Images of men are more often published in sections such as Man Manual, Cover Stories, Live. In the photographs, men play sports, perform on stage, or are captured with family or colleagues.
Mixed shots are found 1.7 times more often than male shots on the pages of the analyzed Cosmopolitan magazine. Such pictures appear in all sections of magazines, and, as a rule, a woman is depicted in them in the foreground.
Based on the analyzed male, female, mixed images in Cosmopolitan magazine, the following professional orientation can be distinguished:

Table number 2
Professional activities of people depicted on the pages of “Cosmopolitan” (in absolute figures and in %)

Advertising on the pages of "Cosmopolitan" is aimed mostly at the female half of the readers (see Appendix 1). The leading positions are occupied by branded clothing and accessories, as well as various cosmetics. A woman aged 25-35 demonstrates an advertised product that emphasizes her physical strengths.
Table No. 3
GQ(Gentlemen Quarterly) Magazine frequency of gendered photos (absolute and %)

After analyzing the photos on the pages of the men's magazine GQ, we found that male images are 2.5 and 3.2 times more common than female and, accordingly, mixed images. Single photos of men are more often found in such headings as Style, Art, Trend (up to 7 photos on one page). Men, in GQ magazine, are captured in a format that emphasizes their physical advantages, just like women in Cosmopolitan, most of the men are models or members of the cultural elite, politicians, businessmen.
Women's photos are more often found in sections such as Cover Story, MusicArts, Style, in sections Technics, Trends there are almost none. A woman is not depicted in a family circle with children, in an apartment, at home, on the contrary, a woman is an object of sexual attraction, is “slightly” naked and is a representative of show business.
Mixed images of a man and a woman are even rarer in the magazine than women's. In the photo, a woman accompanies a man at various social events.
Based on the analyzed male, female, mixed images in the GQ magazine, the following professional orientation can be distinguished:
Table No. 4
Professional activities of people depicted on the pages of “GQ” (in absolute numbers and in %)

Advertising on the pages of “GQ” has a male focus (see Appendix 2), the most advertised products are men's branded clothing and accessories, in particular watches of famous brands. In addition, a number of cosmetics and perfumes are presented, advertised by men aged 25-45, which in turn emphasize his physical virtues. Advertising of cars and the latest computer technologies is presented in this magazine.
Table number 5
The occurrence of gender-oriented photographs in magazines and newspapers "Blender", "New York Times", "People", "USA Today" (in absolute numbers and in %)

After analyzing the press of a mixed nature, it was found that men's photographs are found 1.4 times more often than women's. At the same time, the man appears in all sections, but most often in such sections as International News, National News, Sport, Business (up to 10 photos on one page). On the pages of magazines there are often single photographs of men before publication, more often they are representatives of political parties, economic or political observers, as well as artists.
Women's photos are more common in sections such as Home, Letters, Style, in the sections of Business News and Sport they are almost absent (the exception is “USA Today”, in the material about the US Olympic team of gymnasts). A woman is often depicted in a family circle with children, in an apartment, at home (there are pictures where she, for example, washes dishes, etc.).
Mixed shots are even rarer than men's: on the pages of the analyzed publications "Blender", "New York Times", "People", "USA Today", they are 2.6 times less than all men's and 1.9 times less than all women. Such pictures appear in all sections, and, as a rule, a woman is depicted in them in the foreground.
Table No. 6
Professional activities of people depicted on the pages of "Blender", "New York Times", "People", "USA Today" (in absolute numbers and in %)

Advertising on the pages of "Blender", "New York Times", "People", "USA Today" is directed mostly at the male half of readers (see Appendix 3,4,5,6). The leading positions are occupied by branded clothing and accessories, appliances, cars, financial investments, as well as various cosmetics that not only emphasize physical virtues, but also give solidity to the male image (for example, various brands of watches).
So, in the women's magazine "Cosmopolita n" the predominance of feminine-oriented visual information is naturally traced, since female photographs are found 4.2 times more often than male ones. The photographs emphasize the physical virtues of a woman, who is more often a representative of show business or the fashion world, less often a woman is depicted in the family circle. The men's magazine GQ is dominated by masculine-oriented visual information, as men's photos are 2.5 and 3.2 times more common than women's and, accordingly, mixed pictures. Men also emphasize physical dignity and social status, most of whom are representatives of the cultural elite, politicians and businessmen. In publications of a mixed nature, male images are found 1.4 times more often than female ones. The authors of publications of these publications focus readers' attention on representatives of political parties, businessmen, depicting them in separate pictures, the number of which reaches 10 photos on one page. A woman is often depicted in the family circle.

2.2 Verbal gender-specific information in periodicals

In the study of verbal information, both the articles themselves and their headings were taken into account and analyzed. All words containing sexual (biological) and gender (social) indicators were written out on separate cards in three groups: “masculine marked”, “feminine marked” and “gender neutral”. In addition, the following subgroups were distinguished within the subgroup: (1) names and surnames, (2) titles, (3) titles, (4) positions, professions, (5) family relations, (6) words of special gender designation, invectives (see Table 7,8,9). A similar grouping was carried out in order to identify femininity and masculinity and the degree of their dominance in verbal information on a magazine page. We consider it appropriate to consider verbal information in detail within three groups of periodicals: women-oriented - "Cosmopolitan", having a masculine character - "GQ" and designed for a "mixed" audience - "Blender", "New York Times", "People" , USA Today.
As a result of the analysis of the magazine “Cosmopolitan”, it turned out that out of the total number of stats
etc.................

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