Gender stereotypes in digital society: modern tendencies

The relevance of this article is determined by the sustainable reproduction of gender stereotypes in various areas of Russian society. It is shown that gender stereotypes act as part of a person’s motivational complex and, under certain conditions, become a barrier to its development. The purpose of the study is to determine the nature, functions and mechanisms of the impact of gender stereotypes on the life strategies of an individual in a digital society. Offering a typology of personal life strategies, the authors consider a system for transmitting gender stereotypes in preschool and school education. They consider two types of life strategies: the development strategy and the strategy of everyday life. The development strategy refers to the behavior of individuals, which corresponds to the rejection of dependent moods, focus on continuing education and professional success, creative use of their personal potential. The strategy of everyday life involves a focus on solving not long-term, but life’s immediate problems, as well as a high degree of dependence of an individual on the social support of the state. Using the example of content analysis of preschool children’s literature, as well as textbooks of primary, secondary and high school, the authors show that the set of professions and family roles represented in the studied content forms and broadcasts gender stereotypes about professions, occupations, and social roles. High degree of the influence of gender stereotypes on the choice of a profession is a barrier to the development of personality and has a negative impact on the quality of women’s human capital. The state and society may face the problem of a significant part of women abandoning the development strategy in favor of the daily life strategy. The results of the study can be used in the work of Federal and local authorities, in implementation of the Federal projects «Digital Economy» and «Education», as well as in scientific works on this issue.