Men and women in the middle class: beyond gender discourse

This article discusses the features of the middle class and the specific features of its research by Russian scientists. The author concludes that an “average” individual is the most commonly studied, while in real life the middle class is represented by two large communities, male and female. There are a number of issues, which study of gender aspects of the middle class is methodologically unjustified, for example, the issue on housing provision. In this case, the man or woman is not a single representative of the middle class, but a representative of the household. The article does not reveal the significant gender differences during studying the attitude to work, leisure practice and qualification improvement. Thus, the empirical research reveals that not every life indicator of the middle class can be assessed from the point of view of the gender aspects.