The impact of ethnic and cultural diversity on the development of gender representations

The article explores the influence of ethnic and cultural diversity of the southern Russian region on the subject of gender representations. The authors discuss the connection between gender and nation, consisting of five approaches and determine the provision according to which gender and nation are social constructs. These constructs are imposed to the subject by the system of culture, traditions and customs, and the decisive role is played by religious affiliation, language, dress style, relationships and so on. Initial gender and national attitudes and stereotypes are set in the family. The authors conduct the analysis of dependence of family's gender attitudes on "the border phenomenon" in the process of formation of national stereotypes. The article includes the discussion of the role of women and men in the process of formation of gender and national attitudes in traditional and modern multi-ethnic society. The authors disclose ambiguous attitude to gender representations in different national and ethnic groups.