Recently, for those Americans who are dissatisfied with their gender, the Internet network Facebook offered a choice of registration.

There was a lot of fun on the internet about this. But he who laughs last laughs best. As if the children of laughing people would not have to forcefully try on these gender roles (it would be more correct to call them genders). Reality overtakes the most avant-garde antics like this.

Few people realize that the UN, the European Union, PACE and a host of other influential international organizations have already adopted resolutions, declarations and other documents that not only give the green light to these 58 genders, but also oblige many countries to introduce such gender designations by law.

Cockerel or chicken?

On the eve of the Facebook action, the European Parliament welcomed the “Lunacek report”, named after the Austrian LGBT activist and deputy from the Green Party, with a bang. In essence, she proposed giving representatives of her native LGBT community special rights that would give them advantages over other homo sapiens. They receive unlimited freedom of speech, but they cannot be contradicted. Even parents do not have the right to protect their children from gender propaganda.

So the modern world revolves not only around the dollar, oil or sex, but also around gender. Strictly speaking, the world itself does not rotate around this axis; it is rotated by force, like meat in a meat grinder. Laws requiring such a radical restructuring of society are adopted behind the scenes in the most democratic countries. This is done by the caste of untouchables - international bureaucracy, concentrated in supranational structures. And then they are imposed on almost all countries.

What is the essence of gender? In the 1970s, this term began to designate one of the hypostases of gender - social. To determine your biological sex, just take off your pants. But social gender is what is in the head, how a person feels about himself, what gender he chose, regardless of whether he was born a boy or a girl. Initially, this was used only in medicine for the treatment and rehabilitation of people with such disorders.

But when radical philosophers, psychologists and anthropologists took up gender, they developed the so-called gender theory. What is its essence? We warn you that further reading is not for the faint of heart. According to gender theory, a child is born not as a boy or a girl, but as something indeterminate; he has the makings of all genders at once, regardless of whether he actually has a “cockerel” or a “hen.” And we become men and women only because we are raised that way. The main role, of course, is played by the family - from century to century, “gender violence” (this is the official term) is reproduced against the individual, imposing on the boy the role of a man, and on the girl the role of a woman and mother. This dictatorship of the family must be destroyed. Hence, juvenile justice, the fight against so-called domestic violence, radical forms of protecting the rights of the child, and other actively sponsored technologies for family destruction - they all play on the side of gender theory and practice.

In the United States, a book called “It's Totally Normal” is recommended for reading in 4th grade. One of the pages talks about how it's okay to be gay or lesbian. Photo: Collage AiF

Lessons for youngsters

Gender pedagogy recommends that children try themselves in different roles, emphasizing that unconventionality is great. It is better to start doing this in elementary school or even in kindergarten, when the child begins to realize his biological sex - the optimal age to create gender chaos in a child’s head.

This is called "gender equality" education and is practiced in many countries in northern Europe and is being imposed on countries that have recently joined the EU. In a camouflaged form it leaks out in the form of sex education for young children. After such lessons, girls often begin to play at war, and boys - at gays, transvestites or daughter-mothers.

But after the “Lunacek report”, such education may become practically mandatory, and parents will no longer be able to protect their child from these lessons. By the way, conflicts are already arising in Germany, where parents who protect their children are even subject to criminal penalties. Is this hard for you to believe? All this seems like nonsense that cannot happen because it can never happen? I understand your logic, but I remind you: the relevant agreements are already enshrined in official documents, signed by hundreds of countries, and are being implemented in practice in many regions.

How could this happen? Quiet and unnoticeable. The term “gender” first appeared in documents in 1995 in the so-called UN Beijing Declaration. And then it only meant the need to introduce equality between men and women. At that time, few people argued with this statement, and the document was accepted with enthusiasm. But it turned out that women seemed to be simply used to quietly push all representatives of the LGBT community under the gender umbrella. And as you already know, they needed equality even more than women.

The number of 58 genders identified by experts for the Facebook campaign is arbitrary. According to gender theory, there may be more of them. You can essentially distinguish them endlessly, inventing microscopic differences. For example, the most common ones are those for which the acronym LGBT is used: its letters stand for homosexual genders (lesbians, gays, bisexuals) and transgenders - these are those who are dissatisfied with their biological sex. There are many of them: transsexuals seek to change their sex surgically, transvestites simply dress up in clothes of the opposite sex, androgynes combine male and female traits and behavior, hermaphrodites have male and female genital organs, bigenders change sexual behavior depending on the circumstances, agenders deny any floor. The list goes on, as they did on Facebook. On the sidelines, the introduction of new genders is being discussed, based on incest and pedophilia.

Personality can be considered as a set of all possible individual characteristics, socially significant traits that identify a person as a member of society and characterize his personal qualities. At this point, the average person begins to get confused in terms, believing that gender identity is exclusively sexual orientation, and if it differs from the generally accepted one, it must certainly be corrected. In reality, everything is somewhat more complicated, and many people are surprised to discover traits of the opposite gender in themselves, recognizing this as completely normal.

Determining a person's gender identity

First of all, it is worth noting that gender is not sex, but a set of characteristics that complement sexual self-determination. Therefore, sex is called male and female, and gender, respectively, masculine and feminine. There is no doubt about gender: it is determined by physiological characteristics, the set of chromosomes and the corresponding type of genitalia, while gender identity is characteristics that are not tied to biological characteristics.

To put it simply, it is gender that is responsible for the realization of “real women” and “real men.” According to standard stereotypical reasoning, a representative of each gender must meet certain ideal ideas of society about itself. A woman must be fragile, beautiful, sexually attractive, and be purely interested in raising children and running a household, while a man is traditionally presented as a breadwinner, breadwinner, warrior, and even master; having the “correct” appearance is mandatory. Where does this perception of gender come from in each individual person?

Congenital or acquired?

Proponents of the “biology as destiny” theory insist that all necessary gender traits are innate in every child. Any deviations from the pattern are perceived as perversion or illness. However, the formation of gender identity largely depends on society, and even if a child is raised exclusively in the family, he sees the appropriate behavior of parents and other relatives.

If parents are disappointed that a child was born of the wrong gender that they dreamed of, a semi-conscious desire may appear to “remake” the offspring to fit the model established in their dreams. Similar cases are noted not only in fiction, but also in real life. The formation of gender identity occurs under pressure, and more often girls are raised as boys than vice versa. This is largely due to the prevailing attitude in our society that a real man must have a son. The absence of a child of the required gender encourages fathers and mothers to sublimate, adjusting the “failed offspring” to some speculative model.

Childhood through the prism of gender

In early childhood, children are not aware of either sex or gender, only by the age of two they absorb the differences between boys and girls. The sudden discovery is the presence or absence of a penis. What follows is a parental explanation of why skirts and bows can only be worn if there is no penis, but play with cars and pistols if there is one. Of course, a child’s gender identity is always based on signals of approval or censure received from the outside and is fixed on a subconscious level. It has been noticed that already in kindergarten, children transmit the internalized attitudes to their peers and sometimes even choose toys not according to their own preferences, but according to the principle of correctness for their gender.

Why then does the gender identity of adolescents begin to “fail”? Puberty is not only marked by obvious body changes. An active search for oneself begins, the formation of a personality, and this requires questioning authoritative opinions. The reproachful remark “you’re a girl” or “you’re a boy,” calling for a certain gender model, causes quite natural opposition. To be fair, it is worth noting that parents, in their desire to raise a “correct” child at any cost, go to ridiculous extremes. For example, they forbid their son to take up dancing or music, considering these to be exclusively unmanly activities.

Types of Gender Identity

According to biological norms, people are divided strictly into two sexes - male and female. Any deviations in this area are due to a genetic failure. To a certain extent, this can be corrected with modern medical methods. Then purely social and cultural characteristics begin, which may differ depending on the country and local traditions. The so-called “third sex” - hermaphrodites (with the biological presence of sexual characteristics of both sexes) and people with non-traditional gender identity, is legally recognized in only ten countries: Canada, Australia, Great Britain, with some reservations Germany, New Zealand, Pakistan, Thailand, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Several other countries recognize the existence of the third gender as a cultural tradition, but from the point of view of legislation, this is a kind of twilight side of life, which they prefer not to focus on.

Initially, two gender types were distinguished: masculine, characteristic of men, and feminine, corresponding to the female gender. The officially androgynous type, which appeared in the relatively recent past, represents a kind of “arithmetic mean” between the main two gender types. Anthropologists and sociologists also classify bigenders, transgender people, gender queers and agender people into separate categories. Perhaps this is a desire to push the generally accepted boundaries until they completely disappear and bring gender tolerance to an unattainable absolute. In ordinary life, a few terms are enough without going into details.

Masculinity

Masculine gender identity is a combination of a distinctly masculine physique and the fulfillment of a masculine social role, as well as corresponding character traits, habits, preferences and behavior. In addition to clearly positive characteristics, aggression is considered the norm for masculinity. In other words, when a crying boy is told to “be a man,” this is meant as a requirement to conform to the pattern according to which men do not cry, since this is an exclusively female privilege.

Femininity

Feminine gender identity is the opposite of masculine, a combination of a feminine physique and a traditional female social role, including some ideal “feminine” character traits, habits and inclinations. It’s interesting that in society, literally everything is perceived through a gender prism, starting with the color of a baby’s onesie.

If you put pink tights on a boy, a significant portion of adults will either confuse him with a girl or be outraged that his parents want to raise him to be a girl. A visual signal of feminine identity is clothing styles or colors that correspond to the female gender. A masculine man will have to prove his right to wear a bright flowered shirt with his fists. Fortunately, fashion from time to time insists on zero tolerance and breaking down gender barriers in clothing choices.

Androgyny

It is interesting that androgyny itself existed at all times, but was considered somewhat reprehensible, as if this feature of gender identity was a malicious desire of the androgyne to mislead others. Basically, androgyny relies on visual signals - if a person does not have a pronounced masculinity or femininity, it is difficult to determine at first glance whether the person in front of you is a girl or a boy. Disguise is exacerbated by unisex clothing and behavior.

A striking example can be considered Brun, the heroine from the Strugatsky brothers’ story “Hotel “At the Dead Mountaineer,” who was presented as “the child of the late brother du Barnstoker.” Brun's behavior and appearance did not make it possible to determine what gender this creature actually was, so they wrote about her in the neuter gender until it turned out that she was really a girl.

Gender and sexual orientation

Contrary to popular misconception, the concept of gender identity is completely unrelated to sexual orientation. In other words, a feminine man with a completely non-brutal appearance is not necessarily homosexual, and a short-haired bodybuilder in camouflage does not show lesbian tendencies.

The concept of gender is associated primarily with behavior and social role and is only indirectly based on sexuality. Thus, attempts to suppress “wrong sexuality” by putting pressure on the visual component of gender identity do not bring any results. At the same time, one should not discount the possibility of a complex influence of external factors on the development of sexuality. Sexologists argue that orientation crystallizes gradually, each person goes through a unique path of personality development, including intimate preferences.

Who are bigenders and transgender people?

Bigender can be considered one of the variants of victorious tolerance based on gender in a single individual’s head. If a person takes on certain social functions without passing them through the analysis of stereotypes, we get a fairly harmonious and self-sufficient personality. In the confrontation, the gender of bigenders wins over expediency and skillful application of talents and inclinations. A man can take on a female social role without considering himself a victim of circumstances; a woman also copes well with a male role. In the modern world, gender boundaries have become somewhat blurred, the textbook “mammoth hunt” is increasingly moving from physical work to mental work, and the skilled breadwinner is not the one with muscles and excess testosterone, but an individual with a high degree of intelligence. The gender of the breadwinner does not play a role in this matter.

Another issue, if transgenderism occurs, is the discrepancy between biological and gender self-perception. To put it simply, a transgender can be called a man who prefers a female social role, including some visual attributes. If he really feels like a woman “to the core”, and the physical body does not correspond to self-determination, then we are talking about transsexuality. In a gender sense, this is not a man. A person thinks like a woman, feels and perceives the world and himself exclusively from a feminine position. In this case, it is recommended to correct the inconsistency of biological sex through a transgender transition. However, not all people who have changed their biological sex feel like transsexuals. This is a rather confusing situation with many individual solutions.

Sexism as a catalyst for gender dysphoria

If the formation of gender identity occurred with a discrepancy in biological parameters, this is called This concept includes all disorders of gender identity, which in the draft International Classification of Diseases approximately starting from 2018 (ICD 11) were transferred from the section of psychiatric disorders to the category of sexology. This condition can be superficial or deep, depending on the degree of rejection of one’s own biological sex.

Sociologists and sexologists note that minor gender dysphoria can be aggravated by manifestations of sexism, especially if they attack a child or teenager. For example, machismo, as a radical and aggressive form of the masculine model, can demonstrate outright misogyny - the idea that everything inherent in women is defective is transmitted into the surrounding space. Being a woman is shameful, but being like a woman is even worse. Sexist statements can lead a child to a logical chain: “I don’t want to be a despised object, being a man is wonderful, being a woman is shameful.” The same principle also works in the opposite direction: if a boy’s environment is dominated by derogatory characteristics about men, he subconsciously begins to desire to belong to the “privileged” category of humanity. Biological sex interferes with this, and gender identity disorder develops.

Contrary to the worries of adherents of the traditional model of patriarchal society, gender tolerance does not at all lead to chaos and loss of social and cultural guidelines. On the contrary, the absence of radical sexism and aggression reduces tension in society, reduces the likelihood of developing dysphoria and promotes the growth of each individual person.

The concepts of sex and gender are often confused, and yet there is a very significant, albeit not obvious, difference between them. Let's try to define what gender is and how it differs from sex. We can say that biological sex - male and female - is an innate quality of an individual, revealed at the stage of embryonic development; that gender is immutable and does not depend on the will of the individual. But is it really that simple? Indeed, recently, with the help of modern medicine, it is possible to change gender. And the presence of certain genital organs in a child at birth does not mean that he can be unambiguously placed in the category of boys or girls. Indeed, now, for example, in the examination of athletes participating in competitions between women, not only the obvious female characteristics of their body are taken into account, but also the chromosome set, since it is found that, along with the female genital organs, male hormones are adjacent, and this gives such athletes some advantages in competitions.

And yet, if the gender characteristic of most people is still biological and anatomical, the gender characteristic is clearly public, social and acquired as a result of upbringing. In simpler terms, this can be reformulated as follows: male and female babies are born, but they become men and women. And it’s not even a matter of how a child is raised from the cradle - a girl or a boy: we are all influenced by the cultural unconscious of our environment. And since gender is a cultural and social phenomenon, it can undergo changes along with the development of culture and society. For example, back in the 19th century it was believed that a woman wears a dress and long hair, and a man wears trousers and a short hairstyle, but now these things are not a sign of gender. Previously, “a female academician”, “a female politician” and “a businesswoman” were considered something incredible, but now this is being observed more and more often, and no longer surprises anyone.

But, nevertheless, the gender characteristic attributed to men and women is still tenacious in the mass consciousness, and the more undeveloped the society, the more it dominates individuals, imposing on them certain forms. Thus, it is believed that a man should be “a breadwinner for family” and be sure to earn more than your wife. It is also believed that a man should be courageous, assertive, aggressive, engage in “male” professions, enjoy sports and fishing, and make a career at work. A woman is expected to be feminine, soft, emotional, get married, have children, be flexible and compliant, engage in “female” professions, making a rather modest career in them, because she must devote most of her time to her family.

Which, alas, still dominate in some strata and even countries, give rise to gender problems for human individuals. A wife who feeds the whole family; a husband going on maternity leave to care for a newborn; a woman sacrificing marriage for a successful scientific career; a man who enjoys embroidery - all of them are, to one degree or another, subject to social ostracism for their gender-inappropriate behavior. Is it possible to say unequivocally that gender is a social stereotype? Yes, because in different societies gender stereotypes - male and female - vary. For example, in the Spanish paradigm, being able to cook is a sign of a real macho, while in the Slavic paradigm, standing at the stove is a purely feminine activity.

It is obvious that gender stereotypes lead not only to gender problems, but also to the fact that leadership roles in society are often assigned to men. Therefore, many developed countries are developing special gender policies at the highest level. This means that the state takes responsibility for eliminating inequality based on gender and creates a code of laws to form an egalitarian (equal for all people) society. It should also implement educational policies aimed at eliminating gender stereotypes.

In the modern world, which keeps pace with the times and is in the race for equal rights for people, expressions and grievances related to gender often pop up. Discontent is also associated with discrimination on this basis. Let's understand these concepts and find out where the roots come from.

Congenital and acquired qualities

Seems, that the concept of gender and sex- these are the same thing, there is no difference in them. However, this is not the case; the differences are still significant. Let's try to find out what gender is and the definition of “sex”.

Whether you were born a man or a woman is determined at birth. The differences and divisions are obvious. This factor is biological. In this case, this situation does not change and does not depend on the will of a person.

However, medicine has stepped forward a long time ago. Now developments, innovations, and plastic surgery have moved to a higher level. Medicine can change gender.

In some cases, it is even impossible to accurately determine. There are incidents where there are signs of both male and female hormones and sexual characteristics, so this complicates judgment.

As Wikipedia says, gender is associated with the biological and anatomical characteristics of the body, but gender is associated with:

• society
• social life
• education

Simply put, boys and girls are born, but men and women become in the process of life. This applies not only to upbringing, but also in general to how people are influenced by life in society, culture, and self-awareness.

Time does not stand still, so the concept of “gender” is changing. When it was the 19th century, men and women were distinguished as follows: ladies had long braids and wore dresses. And the men had short hair and wore trousers. However, this is not the definition of gender now.

In past centuries, women could not occupy high-ranking positions in politics or engage in business projects. This was considered something immoral and impossible, however, with the passage of time and progress, it became commonplace. And now you won’t surprise anyone with this. However, gender is still used to judge and separate men and women.

Difference dictates mass consciousness

Many factors depend on the level of culture and development of society. Social behavior can only be imposed on those individuals who think incorrectly and are not sufficiently enlightened.

For example, a man owes something and a woman owes something. The difference and separation between men and women is related to their responsibilities. For example, a man should:

• be the head of the family
• get more money
• have a whole set of characteristics - masculinity, firmness, aggressiveness
• choose a masculine profession
• love sports
• be a fisherman
• strive to climb the career ladder

There is exactly the same list for women. For example, a woman should be, as they say, “real,” get married, have children, be soft and compliant, and choose a female-oriented profession. And the rest of the time, which should be a lot, should be devoted to family.

Of course, these stereotypes cause a violent and emotional reaction among rebels. After all, now everything is mixed up: many couples do not want to burden themselves with relationships, marriage, and especially children. And all the energy is used to advance in one’s career, to work and live for one’s pleasure.

Gender problems arise from this kind of thinking. Often, breastfeeding women have to support the whole family, earn money for bread and food, while the man may not work, but, on the contrary, go on maternity leave. Either another option: sacrifices for the sake of a career, or men who feel like women at heart. They are fond of embroidery. It turns out that neither this nor the other case corresponds to their gender.

All people are equal

So it turns out that a gender characteristic is a stereotype? Different countries interpret this problem differently.

For example, in Spanish society, a representative of the stronger sex who cooks well is equated to a “real macho.” But among the Slavs, this is women’s work and not a man’s business at all. This is where problems develop, women feel such discrimination, try to prove their equality, defend their rights and declare themselves as individuals. And leadership positions are most often given to representatives of the stronger sex.

To solve this problem, some countries are pursuing gender policies. This means:

• the state is responsible for establishing equality between the sexes and eliminating differences
• legal norms are created
• an equal society without prohibitions is created

All these actions are aimed at eliminating stereotypes associated with gender.

Gender: Definition

Concept "gender" means social gender. It determines how a person will behave in a certain role as a man or woman. This includes prohibitions on certain behavior.

Gender meaning in society speaks about what profession a person should choose based on his biological sex.

For example, differences between Orthodox and Muslim women are obvious. From an anatomical point of view they are equal, however, in terms of gender they will occupy different niches in society.

So, the concept of “gender” appeared for the following reasons:

• as part of an exploration of new self-awareness
• studied during the years of intensification of feminist sentiments

All these concepts, one way or another, divide people by gender.

Even 60 years ago, a famous doctor of that time studied gender differences. He called this type of differentiation gender. Then the studies were provoked by the emergence of new types of people - transsexuals and intersex people. However, then this term remained simply a scientific concept.

But then, 10 years later, feminists appeared. They defended their equality and rights. They had their own charter and ideology. Supporters and participants actively maneuvered the concept of gender.

Medicine is based on the same principle

, differences by gender also exist in medical practice. There is even a whole type of science called “Gender Medicine”. This means that a certain disease will be treated differently in men and women. This applies even if representatives are in the same age categories. This difference is due to the fact that organisms are structured differently.

The male and female halves have differences not only in gender, sex, but also in physiology:

• In men, testosterone is pronounced - this is a purely inherent hormone
• in women - estrogen and progesterone

Therefore, different reactions occur to different situations, including emotional ones.

And some diseases are more common in men, others more common in women. The same difference exists in stressful situations and during pain. For example, if a woman complains about something, she must first be tested for hormones, because they affect the entire body as a whole.

This gender trait can also manifest itself in morale and emotional health. Let’s say that women feel great if they speak at least 20 thousand words a day, and only 8 thousand are enough for men.

It's no secret that the difference between both sexes and gender lies in the reaction to one or another circumstance. Women are mainly guided by feelings and emotionality, but men behave in a more restrained manner and are guided mainly by logic.

Therefore, even psychologists have different approaches to people based on gender, because people are different inside.

Manifestation of gender in modern society

So, the concept of “gender” was discussed above, now let’s look at specific examples to better understand what we are talking about.

Why do they say that gender judgments are stereotypes? Probably because there are women who are such only in appearance. And there are no particular differences between the others. However, under all the external tinsel - makeup, wig, clothes and heels, there is a man. The only difference is that biologically he is male, but morally he feels like a woman.

Another example -. This term was actively mentioned in the 2000s. Now this concept should surprise absolutely no one. This has become the norm. There are plenty of metrosexuals: in magazines, movies, music videos, in nightclubs. A concrete example of this description is a man who is very attentive to himself, takes care of his appearance, and follows fashion trends. Such a personality can be contrasted with the so-called “real man”, who does not particularly bother about his appearance and has more strong-willed and strong character qualities.

How to spot a metrosexual from a crowd:

• he likes to go shopping
• the whole closet is filled with fashionable things
• wears many clothing accessories - scarf, glasses, watches, bracelets, rings, badges, jewelry
• does not hesitate to paint nails, hair, remove hair from hairy areas of the skin

That’s why there is such a division; it all depends on preferences and self-perception. At the same time, a metrosexual can be both gay and a normal man. You can't guess here.

Be that as it may, even such a trait as metrosexuality leaves a man a man. After all, this trait does not affect gender. For example, in the 18th century this was the fashion. Men wore makeup, wore heels, wore wigs and adorned themselves with copious amounts of accessories.

Another example is the men of Scotland. According to their culture, they wear skirts, and Arabs even wear dresses. There were also references in history to the love of samurai for each other; the Greeks conveyed their unconventional sexual inclinations in works of art. At the same time, men fought, participated in wars, started families and left offspring.

For example, the difference in gender also lies in logic. Men make fun of women, and women make fun of men. All this also applies to gender stereotypes imposed by society and culture.

Is androgyny a progress in consciousness?

Society is increasingly interested in such a concept as "androgyny". Simply put, this is gender duality. It manifests itself both externally and internally. Not only spiritual practices, but also religions talk about 2-cavity or asexuality. For example, the Bible says that angels are asexual beings, just like our soul has no sexual characteristics.

Androgyny manifests itself in a person when there is:

• feeling of two sexes inside
• complement of one personality to another
• existence of two personalities in one body

This was discussed back in antiquity. Even ancient Greek writings discussed this phenomenon.

Nowadays, androgyny is part of a person’s psychological state. It turns out that with androgyny a person has both masculine and feminine characteristics. And this applies to appearance, too. However, it all begins with the spiritual: how a person reasons, how he behaves, what habits and manners he has. Sometimes boys are very similar to girls, even their voice speaks of the female gender. Anrogyny does not mean that a person has problems with orientation.

It is difficult for a person to be androgynous in the modern world. Because you have to choose who you are. Therefore, you always need to maintain a balance in your states. As practice shows, gender does not play a role here at all. And the choice may not be made in his favor. All this can cause ridicule and reproaches from society. In extreme cases, condemnation and violence against this person.

Androgynes, as a rule, choose a certain style in which they feel comfortable. It is not necessary to undergo surgery for this; you can choose clothes, hairstyle, behavior that is as close as possible to the personality.

For example, in America, freedom in this regard is obvious. There are more than 30 gender identities that a person can choose from. And all this is enshrined in law.

Is there equality?

In the world, in many countries, even among Muslims, where women are a niche lower than men, they also talk about gender equality. These disputes changed many laws and expanded human rights. What does equality mean?

The idea is that people have the same opportunities in different areas of life. This applies to systems of education and science, medicine and health care, law and order. This means:

• unhindered choice of one or another job, regardless of gender
• access to government activities
• starting a family
• parenting

When it comes to inequality, then a lot of problems arise here, including violence. Because in the modern world they are already abandoning the stereotypes that existed in the past. For example, the fact that a man is an aggressive male, and a woman is an obedient and patient female. Such characteristics and “echoes of the past” allow men to have promiscuous sexual relations, and as for the female sex, on the contrary, there is complete subordination. This gives rise to a slavish attitude.

Nobody says that it is necessary to fight for equality and create conflicts, however, society has already changed radically. For example, more and more women are occupying positions that are typical for men - they are joining the ranks of police officers, rescuers, drivers, and officials. On the other hand, men can be dancers and cultural figures. And there is nothing shameful here.

In addition, situations are increasingly emerging when a woman cannot afford to be a housewife and deal exclusively with everyday life and housework. She works just like a man, while raising children and taking care of the house. Although gender stereotypes contradict this lifestyle.

However, in Saudi Arabia, there is still a certain hierarchy in relations between men and women. This happens due to mentality, religion and age-old traditions. For example, there the man still stands head and shoulders above the woman and can control her. This is considered the norm; we have been accustomed to this situation since childhood.

If we talk about the differences between men and women, there is an opinion that women value family values ​​more, and men value independence and success. Currently, everything is mixed up and we see that everyone has different values. And this does not depend on gender.

Another gender problem is the dual standards. It can manifest itself equally in any area or area of ​​life, even in personal relationships. For example, sexual behavior.

Men tend to have a varied sex life. And the more partners there were before the wedding, the better. Gaining experience is useful and necessary for future relationships.

As for the female sex, they must marry innocent, otherwise it is considered bad manners. Actually, earlier they paid more attention to this than now. Since more and more couples live in civil marriages, that is, according to the law, they are nobody to each other. It turns out that a man’s affairs are not condemned as vehemently as a woman’s infidelity.

According to the double standard, a man can dominate sexual life, at his own discretion, while a woman can play the role of a slave.

Therefore, when it comes to education, it’s up to you to decide. If you strive for gender equality, your child needs to be shown an appropriate example of behavior and communication with each other. And do not discriminate against people based on their gender. When it comes to professions, it is not necessary to emphasize what is strictly for men and what is exclusively for women. You can show that dad can also do household chores, cook food, and mom can work and love football, and go fishing with dad. And don't encourage violence. Emphasize that it is bad when a boy offends a girl, but when a girl responds and offends the boy, this is also offensive and wrong.

Gender equality does not change history, gender or character traits, it just helps you find your path in life, without relying on stereotypes - who can do what and who can’t.

Secrets of gender [Man and woman in the mirror of evolution] Butovskaya Marina Lvovna

Hormonal disorders and gender

A discrepancy between genetic and external morphological sex can occur for a number of other reasons. A typical case of this kind is known as androgen insensitivity syndrome. This anomaly is associated with insensitivity to testosterone at the cellular level. As a result, in an embryo with a normal male genotype XV and with developed testes, female external genitalia are formed. Such an individual not only looks like a woman outwardly, but also behaves like a woman. Available full-fledged testes do not have any impact on the life and activity of the child. Before the onset of puberty, both parents and the child themselves do not experience the slightest discomfort. However, during puberty, the girl’s period does not come, the parents begin to sound the alarm and consult a doctor. If an experienced doctor determines the true cause of this anomaly, then a surgical operation is performed: the testes are removed, and in the future the girl continues to lead a normal lifestyle characteristic of her sex, without experiencing problems with gender identity. Unfortunately, such a woman turns out to be infertile. According to Money and Earhart, 80% of individuals with androgen insensitivity syndrome have an exclusively heterosexual orientation and none demonstrated lesbian predispositions in adulthood. Thus, despite the male XV genotype, males develop into females. They demonstrate sensitivity to the feminizing effects of estrogens secreted by the testes during puberty. Because of this, these men develop breasts and feminine body shapes.

An even rarer and extremely curious, in line with our reasoning about the role of nature and nurture, genetic anomaly is called 5-alpha reductase deficiency. It is this case that we had in mind when we said that the external morphological sex of a person in rare cases can spontaneously change to the opposite under the influence of internal hormonal activity. The anomaly has been described for only a few families living in the Dominican Republic (18 cases) and Papua New Guinea (several cases). The mutation appears only in men and only if the individual inherits two copies of the recessive gene, which leads to disruption of the normal processes of testosterone metabolism. As a result, the fetus does not convert primary testosterone into d and hydrotestosterone. Although the development of the testes occurs, they do not descend into the scrotum, but remain inside the body. The external genitalia of such a newborn child are more reminiscent of women. It is not surprising, therefore, that his parents and those around him see him as a girl and raise him accordingly. True, such girls behave in an inappropriate manner, from the point of view of gender stereotypes. They almost always grow up as tomboys, strive for increased physical activity, power games and competition, are rarely interested in playing with dolls and mother-daughter games and prefer to play with boys, despite the persuasion and prohibitions of distressed parents.

During puberty, d and hydrotestosterone loses its leading importance as a sex hormone, and testosterone takes its place. And its effect on the cells of the body in persons with this syndrome occurs in a completely normal way. Therefore, “girls” begin to undergo rapid changes in their bodies: the penis grows, the testes mix down into the formed scrotum, male-type hair growth occurs, the voice becomes deeper, the shoulders expand, and the nature of fat deposition changes. It is curious that in the future the young man does not experience any problems not only with sexual identity, but also with gender identity. He starts a family and can have healthy children.

If we consider gender identity entirely as a product of socialization and upbringing, then it turns out to be completely incomprehensible why, in cases of this syndrome, an individual is able to easily and painlessly change his identity to the opposite one. If we turn to another version proposed by biologists, then this phenomenon turns out to be more understandable. It is likely that sex hormones play a certain influence on the formation of gender identity: testosterone has a significant irreversible effect on the fetal brain in the womb and contributes to the final choice of gender identity during puberty.

Certain morphological disturbances in the expression of external sexual characteristics have been recorded when pregnant women take a number of medications. Laboratory experiments on rhesus monkeys have shown that with high doses of a substance called testosterone propionate in the mother's body, the female fetus undergoes pronounced masculinization in the body structure. Female cubs are born with developed penises (Fig. 5.2).

Rice. 5.2. A female Rhesus with a developed penis, which appeared under the influence of testosterone propionate, which was introduced into the body of the female mother during pregnancy. (Adapted from Dixon. 1998).

Thus, the considered examples clearly prove that appearance can be deceptive: a person may outwardly look like a man or a woman, but from the point of view of J. Money’s classification, he may not be either one or the other. Of course, his gender can be quite unambiguous: male or female. In addition, in modern society such an individual may consider himself to be a third gender.

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The baby has not yet been born, but having found out his gender, we buy clothes, a stroller, furnish the nursery... For a boy we choose blue tones, for a girl - pink. This is how “gender education” begins. Then the boy receives cars as a gift, and the girl receives dolls. We want to see our son as courageous, brave and strong, and our daughter as affectionate, soft and compliant. Doctor and psychologist Igor Dobryakov talks about how our gender expectations affect children.

The word "gender" was coined to separate the social meanings of "masculinity" and "femininity" from biological sex differences. Gender is determined by anatomical and physiological characteristics that allow us to divide all people into men and women and classify ourselves as one of the groups. Sometimes, due to a chromosomal malfunction or as a result of abnormalities in the development of the embryo, a person is born who combines the sexual characteristics of both men and women (hermaphrodite). But this happens extremely rarely.

One psychologist jokingly said that sex is what is between the legs, and gender is what is between the ears. If a person’s sex is determined at birth, then gender identity is formed in the process of upbringing and socialization. To be a woman or a man in society means not only to have a certain anatomical structure, but also to have an appearance, manners, behavior, and habits that meet expectations. These expectations set certain patterns of behavior (gender roles) for men and women depending on gender stereotypes - what is considered “typically masculine” or “typically feminine” in society.

The emergence of gender identity is closely related to both biological development and the development of self-awareness. At the age of two, they do not fully understand what this means, however, under the influence of the example and expectations of adults, they already begin to actively form their gender attitudes, learn to distinguish the gender of those around them by clothing, hairstyle, and facial features. By the age of seven, a child realizes the immutability of his biological sex. In adolescence, the formation of gender identity occurs: rapid puberty, manifested by body changes, romantic experiences, erotic desires, stimulates it. This has a strong impact on the further formation of gender identity. There is an active development of forms of behavior and the formation of character in accordance with the ideas of parents, the immediate environment, and society as a whole about femininity (from the Latin femininus - “female”) and masculinity (from the Latin masculinus - “male”).

Gender equality

Over the past 30 years, the idea of ​​gender equality has become widespread in the world, formed the basis of many international documents, and is reflected in national laws. Gender equality implies equal opportunities, rights and responsibilities for women and men in all spheres of life, including equal access to education and healthcare, equal opportunities to work, participate in government, start a family and raise children. Gender inequality creates fertile ground for gender-based violence. Stereotypes preserved from archaic times attribute different scenarios of sexual behavior to women and men: men are allowed greater sexual activity and aggressiveness, women are expected to be passively obedient and submissive to a man, which easily turns her into an object of sexual exploitation.

Equal in difference

And women have always existed, but they differed in different eras and among different peoples. Moreover, in different families living in the same country and belonging to the same class, ideas about the “real” man and woman can vary significantly.

In modern countries of Western civilization, the ideas of gender equality between men and women have gradually prevailed, and this is gradually equalizing their roles in society and family. Voting rights for women were legislated quite recently (by historical standards): in the USA in 1920, in Greece in 1975, in Portugal and Spain in 1974 and 1976, and one of the cantons of Switzerland equalized voting rights for women and men only in 1991. Some countries, such as Denmark, have created a special ministry dedicated to gender equality.

At the same time, in countries where the influence of religion and traditions is strong, views are more common that recognize the right of men to dominate, manage, and rule over women (for example, in Saudi Arabia, women were promised to be given the right to vote only in 2015).

Masculine and feminine qualities are manifested in behavior, appearance, and preference for certain hobbies and activities. There are also differences in values. It is believed that women value human relationships, love, family more, and men value social success and independence. However, in real life, the people around us demonstrate a combination of both feminine and masculine personality traits, and the values ​​that are significant to them can vary significantly. In addition, masculine or feminine traits that appear clearly in some situations may be invisible in others. Similar observations led the Austrian scientist Otto Weininger to the idea that every normal woman and every normal man has traits of both his own and the opposite sex; a person’s individuality is determined by the predominance of the male over the female or vice versa *. He used the term "androgyny" (Greek ανδρεία - man; Greek γυνής - woman) to refer to the combination of masculine and feminine traits. Russian philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev called Weininger’s ideas “brilliant intuitions”**. Shortly after the publication of Weininger's work "Sex and Character", male and female sex hormones were discovered. In the body, men produce female hormones along with male sex hormones, and in the female body, along with female hormones, male hormones are produced. Their combination and concentration influence a person’s appearance and sexual behavior and shape his hormonal sex.

That is why in life we ​​encounter such a variety of manifestations of masculine and feminine. Some men and women have predominantly masculine and feminine qualities, while others have a balance of both. Psychologists believe that individuals of the androgynous type, who combine high levels of both masculinity and femininity, have greater behavioral flexibility, and therefore are the most adaptive and psychologically prosperous. Therefore, raising children within the strict confines of traditional gender roles can do them a disservice.

Igor Dobryakov– Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Child Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Medical Psychology, North-Western State Medical University. I. I. Mechnikova. Member of the editorial boards of the journals “Perinatal Psychology”, “Issues of Mental Health of Children and Adolescents”, “Children’s Medicine of the North-West”. Author of dozens of scientific papers, as well as co-author of the books “Development of a Child’s Personality from Birth to One Year” (Rama Publishing, 2010), “Child Psychiatry” (Peter, 2005), “Health Psychology.”

Captured by stereotypes

Most people believe that a woman has such qualities as sensitivity, tenderness, caring, sensitivity, tolerance, modesty, pliability, gullibility, etc. Girls are taught to be obedient, careful, and responsive.

True masculine qualities are considered courage, perseverance, reliability, responsibility, etc. Boys are taught to rely on their own strengths, achieve their own goals, and be independent. Punishments for misbehavior are generally harsher for boys than for girls.

Many parents encourage their children to behave and play traditionally characteristic of their gender, and are very worried when they notice the opposite. By buying cars and pistols for boys, and dolls and strollers for girls, parents, often without realizing it, strive to raise strong men - breadwinners and protectors, and real women - keepers of the hearth. But there is nothing wrong with the fact that a boy cooks dinner on a toy stove and feeds a teddy bear, and a girl assembles a construction set and plays chess. Such activities contribute to the multilateral development of the child, form important traits in him (caring in a boy, logical thinking in a girl), and prepare him for life in modern society, where women and men have long been equally successful in mastering the same professions and in many respects playing the same roles. social roles.

By telling a boy: “Give back, you’re a boy” or “Don’t cry, you’re not a girl,” parents reproduce gender and unwittingly, or even consciously, lay the foundation for the boy’s future aggressive behavior and a sense of superiority over girls. When adults or friends condemn “calf tenderness,” they thereby forbid the boy, and then the man, to show attention, care, and affection. Phrases like “Don’t get dirty, you’re a girl”, “Don’t fight, only boys fight” give a girl a feeling of her own superiority over dirty guys and brawlers, and the call “Be quieter, be more modest, you’re a girl” encourages her to play second roles, giving in the palm for men.

Myths about boys and girls

Which widely held opinions are based on solid facts and which have no reliable experimental basis?

In 1974, Eleanor Maccoby and Carol Jacklin dispelled many myths by showing that people of different sexes have more similarities than differences. To find out how close your stereotypical beliefs are to the truth, consider which of the following statements are true.

1. Girls are more sociable than boys.

2. Boys have a stronger sense of self-esteem than girls.

3. Girls perform simple, routine tasks better than boys.

4. Boys have stronger mathematical abilities and spatial thinking than girls.

5. Boys have a more analytical mind than girls.

6. Girls have better speech development than boys.

7. Boys are more motivated to achieve success.

8. Girls are not as aggressive as boys.

9. Girls are easier to persuade than boys.

10. Girls are more sensitive to sound, and boys - to visual stimuli.

The answers emerging from Maccoby and Jacklin's research are surprising.

1. There is no reason to believe that girls are more sociable than boys. In early childhood, both groups equally often form groups to play together. Neither boys nor girls show an increased desire to play alone. Boys do not give preference to playing with inanimate objects over playing with peers. At a certain age, boys spend even more time playing together than girls.

2. The results of psychological tests indicate that boys and girls in childhood and adolescence do not differ significantly in the level of self-esteem, but indicate different areas of life in which they feel more confident than in others. Girls consider themselves more competent in the field of mutual communication, and boys are proud of their strength.

3 and 4. Boys and girls cope equally effectively with simple, typical tasks. Boys develop mathematical abilities around the age of 12, when they quickly develop spatial thinking. In particular, it is easier for them to depict the invisible side of an object. Since the difference in spatial thinking abilities becomes noticeable only in adolescence, the reason for this should be sought either in the child’s environment (probably boys are more often given the opportunity to improve this skill) or in the characteristics of his hormonal status.

5. Boys and girls have the same analytical skills. Boys and girls discover the ability to separate the important from the unimportant, to recognize the most important in the flow of information.

6. Speech develops faster in girls than in boys. Until adolescence, children of both sexes do not differ in this indicator, but in high school, girls begin to outstrip boys. They perform better on tests of understanding the complexities of language, have more fluent figurative speech, and their writing is more literate and better in terms of style. As with boys' math abilities, girls' increased language abilities may be a consequence of socialization that motivates them to improve their language skills.

7. Girls are less aggressive than boys, and this difference is noticeable already at the age of two, when children begin to take part in group games. Boys' increased aggressiveness manifests itself both in physical actions and in demonstrating a willingness to engage in a fight or in the form of verbal threats. Aggression is usually directed at other boys and less often at girls. There is no evidence that parents encourage boys to be more aggressive than girls; rather, they do not encourage expressions of aggressiveness in either one or the other.

8. Boys and girls are equally susceptible to persuasion and imitate the behavior of adults equally often. Both are influenced by social factors and understand the need to follow generally accepted norms of behavior. The only real difference is that girls adapt their judgments somewhat more easily to the judgments of others, and boys can accept the values ​​of a given peer group without compromising their own views, even if there is not the slightest similarity between them.

9. In infancy, boys and girls react similarly to various objects in the environment that are perceived through hearing and vision. Both distinguish the speech characteristics of those around them, different sounds, the shape of objects and the distances between them. This similarity persists in adults of different sexes.

The most objective approach to identifying differences between the sexes is to study the brain. Using electroencephalography, you can evaluate the brain's reactions to various types of stimulation. Such studies avoid dependence of the results obtained on the personal opinions or biases of the experimenter, since the interpretation of the observed behavior in this case is based on objective indicators. It turned out that women have sharper senses of taste, touch and hearing. In particular, their hearing in the long-wave range is so sharper than that of men that a sound of 85 decibels seems twice as loud to them. Women have higher mobility of their hands and fingers and finer coordination of movements, they are more interested in the people around them, and in infancy they listen with great attention to various sounds. As data accumulates on the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the male and female brain, the need for new neuropsychological studies that could dispel existing myths or confirm their reality increases.

* Fragments from the book by W. Masters, V. Johnson, R. Kollodny “Fundamentals of Sexology” (World, 1998).

How social gender develops

The formation of gender identity begins at an early age and is manifested by a subjective sense of belonging to boys or girls. Already at the age of three, boys prefer to play with boys, and girls prefer to play with girls. Cooperative games are also present, and they are very important for acquiring communication skills with each other. Preschoolers try to conform to the ideas about “correct” behavior for boys and girls that are “transmitted” to them by teachers and the children’s team. But the main authority on all issues, including gender, for young children is their parents. For girls, the image of not only a woman, whose main example is the mother, is very important, but also the image of a man, just as models of both male and female behavior are important for boys. And of course, parents give their children the first example of the relationship between a man and a woman, which largely determines their behavior when communicating with people of the opposite sex, and their ideas about relationships in a couple.

Until the age of 9–10, children are especially susceptible to external influences. Close communication with peers of the opposite sex at school and in other activities helps the child learn behavioral gender stereotypes accepted in society. Role-playing games, which began in kindergarten, become more and more complex over time. Participation in them is very important for children: they have the opportunity to choose the gender of the character in accordance with their own, and learn to conform to their gender role. When portraying men or women, they primarily reflect stereotypes of gender behavior accepted in the family and at school, and demonstrate those qualities that are considered feminine or masculine in their environment.

It's interesting how differently parents and teachers react to the departure from stereotypes. A tomboyish girl who likes to play “war” with boys is usually not blamed by both adults and peers. But a boy who plays with dolls is teased and called a “girl” or “mama’s boy.” There is an obvious difference in the scope of requirements for “appropriate” behavior for boys and girls. It is difficult to imagine that some activity uncharacteristic for a girl (laser fighting, auto racing, football) will cause as much condemnation as, for example, a boy’s love of toy dishes, sewing and clothes (this is well shown in the 2000 film directed by Stephen Daldry "Billy Elliot") Thus, in modern society there are practically no purely male activities and hobbies left, but typically female ones still exist.

In children's communities, feminine boys are ridiculed; they are called “weaklings” and “sluts.” Often ridicule is accompanied by physical violence. In such situations, timely intervention from teachers is necessary, and moral support for the child from parents is needed.

During the prepubertal period (approximately 7 to 12 years), children with a variety of personality traits tend to form social groups while avoiding members of the other sex. Research by the Belarusian psychologist Yakov Kolominsky*** showed that when it is necessary to give preference to three classmates, boys choose boys, and girls choose girls. However, the experiment we conducted convincingly proved that if children are sure that their choice will remain secret, then many of them choose people of the opposite sex****. This demonstrates the significance of the child’s internalized gender stereotypes: he fears that friendship or even communication with a representative of the other sex may make others doubt his correct understanding of his gender role.

During puberty, adolescents, as a rule, try to emphasize their gender qualities, the list of which begins to include communication with the opposite sex. A teenage boy, trying to show his masculinity, not only plays sports, shows determination and strength, but also actively demonstrates interest in girls and sex issues. If he avoids this and is noticed to have “girlish” qualities, then he inevitably becomes a target for ridicule. Girls during this period worry about how attractive they are to the opposite sex. At the same time, under the influence of traditional ones, they notice that their “weakness” and “helplessness” attracts boys who want to show their skills and strength, to act as a protector and patron.

During this period, the authority of adults is no longer as high as in childhood. Teenagers begin to focus on behavioral stereotypes accepted in their environment and actively promoted by popular culture. The ideal girl can be a strong, successful and independent woman. Men's dominance in love, in the family and in the team is less and less perceived as the norm. Heterosexual normativity is questioned, that is, the “correctness” and admissibility of attraction only to a member of the opposite sex. “Non-standard” gender self-identification is becoming increasingly understood. Today's teenagers and young adults are more liberal in their views on sexuality and sexual relationships.

The assimilation of gender roles and the formation of gender identification occurs as a result of the complex interaction of natural inclinations, individual characteristics of the child and his environment, micro- and macro-society. If parents, knowing the laws of this process, do not impose their stereotypes on the child, but help him discover his individuality, then in adolescence and beyond he will have fewer problems associated with puberty, awareness and acceptance of his sex and gender.

No double standards

Double standards manifest themselves in various areas of life. When it comes to men and women, it primarily concerns sexual behavior. Traditionally, a man is recognized as having the right to sexual experience before marriage, while a woman is required to do so before marriage. With the formal requirement of mutual fidelity of both spouses, a man’s extramarital affairs are not condemned as strictly as a woman’s infidelity. The double standard prescribes the man to be the experienced and leading partner in sexual relations, and the woman to be the passive, subservient party.

If we want to raise a child in the spirit of gender equality, we need to show him an example of treating people equally, regardless of their gender. When talking with your child, do not associate this or that activity or housework or profession with gender - dad can wash the dishes, and mom can drive the car to buy groceries; there are female engineers and male chefs. Do not allow double standards between men and women and be intolerant of all violence, no matter who it comes from: a girl who bullies a boy deserves the same censure as a boy who takes away her toy. Gender equality does not abolish sex and gender differences and does not equate women and men, girls and boys, but allows each person to find their own way of self-realization and determine their life choices regardless of the usual gender stereotypes.

* O. Weinenger “Gender and Character” (Latard, 1997).

** N. Berdyaev “The Meaning of Creativity” (AST, 2007).

*** Y. Kolominsky “Psychology of a children's group. System of personal relationships" (Narodnaya Asveta, 1984).

**** I. Dobryakov “Experience in studying heterosexual relationships in prepubertal children” (in the book “Psyche and gender in children and adolescents in normal and pathological conditions”, LPMI, 1986).

Possible options

Do not make a “real man” out of a boy, sociologist and sexologist Igor Kon* advises parents.

All real men are different, the only fake men are those who pretend to be “real”. Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov resembles Arnold Schwarzenegger just as little as Carmen resembles the mother heroine. Help the boy choose the version of masculinity that is closer to him and in which he will be more successful, so that he can accept himself and not regret missed, most often just imaginary, opportunities.

Don't instill belligerence in him.

The historical destinies of the modern world are decided not on the battlefield, but in the sphere of scientific, technical and cultural achievements. If your boy grows up to be a worthy person and citizen who knows how to defend his rights and fulfill the responsibilities associated with them, he will also cope with the defense of the Fatherland. If he gets used to seeing enemies all around and resolving all disputes from a position of strength, nothing but troubles will happen to him in life.

Don't teach a boy to treat a woman from a position of strength.

It is beautiful to be a knight, but if your boy ends up in a relationship with a woman who is not the leader, but the follower, it will be a trauma for him. It makes more sense to see “a woman in general” as an equal partner and potential friend, and to build relationships with specific girls and women individually, depending on their and your roles and characteristics.

Don't try to mold your children in your own image.

For a parent who does not suffer from delusions of grandeur, a much more important task is to help the child become himself.

Do not try to force your child into a certain occupation or profession.

By the time he makes his responsible choice, your preferences may be morally and socially outdated. The only way is to enrich the child’s interests from early childhood so that he has the widest possible choice of options and opportunities.

Don't force your children to realize your unfulfilled dreams and illusions.

You don’t know what devils are guarding the path you once turned off, or whether it exists at all. The only thing in your power is to help your child choose the optimal development option for him, but the right to choose belongs to him.

Don't try to pretend to be a strict father or an affectionate mother if these traits are not characteristic of you.

Firstly, it is impossible to deceive a child. Secondly, it is influenced not by an abstract “sex role model”, but by the individual properties of the parent, his moral example and how he treats the child.

Do not believe that defective children grow up in single-parent families.

This statement is factually incorrect, but acts as a self-fulfilling prediction. “Incomplete families” are not those in which there is no father or mother, but those in which parental love is lacking. The maternal family has its own additional problems and difficulties, but it is better than a family with an alcoholic father or where the parents live like cats and dogs.

Do not try to replace your child’s peer society,

avoid confrontation with their environment, even if you don't like it. The only thing you can and should do is mitigate the inevitable trauma and difficulties associated with it. A trusting atmosphere in the family helps best against “bad comrades.”

Do not abuse prohibitions and, if possible, avoid confrontation with your child.

If strength is on your side, then time is on his side. A short-term gain can easily turn into a long-term loss. And if you break his will, both sides will lose.

Never use corporal punishment.

Anyone who hits a child demonstrates not strength, but weakness. The apparent pedagogical effect is completely overwhelmed by long-term alienation and hostility.

Don't rely too much on the experience of your ancestors.

We know little about the real history of everyday life; normative regulations and pedagogical practices have never coincided anywhere. In addition, living conditions have changed greatly, and some methods of education that were considered useful before (for example, spanking) are unacceptable and ineffective today.

The information and materials contained in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of UNESCO. The authors are responsible for the information provided.

When criticizing the equality movement, people cannot explain the difference between the concepts of “gender” and “sex.” Feminists are portrayed as angry creatures, and few people have ever heard of male feminists. What are gender roles, stereotypes and characteristics? What are the differences between the concepts “gender” and “sex”? And why should you remove the M and F marks from your resume? In the article we answer all questions.

What is gender?

Gender is a socially constructed cluster that has nothing to do with biological sex. This is a social gender that a person chooses at will. It was introduced into circulation to separate the sexual and socially organized characteristics of a person. The term "gender" is an English word with Latin roots meaning grammatical gender. Russian also has a grammatical definition of gender. But for the purity of the research, they decided not to mix these two concepts.

Gender identity is the core sense of belonging to one's chosen gender. Moreover, gender does not necessarily mean male or female. Today you can assign yourself a “third” gender that does not fit into the binary system of understanding. There may be several representatives of the third gender. Today, the UN and the European Union have adopted documents according to which the existence of more than 50 genders has been proven.

Respectively gender roles- social norms that define the rules of behavior of a person who is confident in his gender identity. Gender or social roles of men and women are prescribed at the state level. But outdated ideas about women's and men's activities are limiting. This applies to profession, work, hobbies, maternity leave.

Evolution of the concept of gender.

Gender identity has always worried people, but it has become a subject of scientific research relatively recently. The discoverer of the term is considered to be an American sexologist and psychoanalyst. Robert Stoller. In 1958, he published Sex and Gender, which proposed a separation between biological and cultural studies related to sex. But the concept became widespread in the 1970s thanks to a new wave of movement

In the 1980s, a new direction was formed in the science of women's history - gender history. But unlike feminist theory, it sought to provide a holistic picture of gender relations. Before this, it was generally accepted that biological sex determined physiological, anatomical, as well as psychological and behavioral differences. The main idea of ​​gender history is that it replaces biological affiliation based on the “gender-gender” principle with socio-cultural affiliation based on the “gender-sex” principle.

Over the past three decades, the concept of gender equality has become popular throughout the world and has formed the basis of many national laws and international documents. Equal gender role implies the same rights and responsibilities of people in all areas of life: education, work and career, creating a family and raising children.

The attitude of religion to gender psychology today is ambiguous. On the one hand, most religious teachings are based on the fact that salvation is due to every sincere believer. But on the other hand, religious postulates were created at a time when women were excluded from public life. Conservative norms still lead to criticism of gender ideology today.

Gender characteristics: 5 myths about the differences between men and women.

Gender is formed and develops in direct connection with biological characteristics and

According to psychologists, boys and girls recognize their gender by the age of two, but do not fully understand what it is. By the age of 5-7, gender identity is formed under the influence of upbringing, experience and environmental expectations. The next stage is puberty, accompanied by body changes, erotic fantasies and romantic experiences. This period has a strong influence on subsequent gender differences. And only at the age of 17-25 years does the stage of socialization take place, when a person’s worldview, his ideas about his own and others are formed.

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But the point is that child education in many families, kindergartens and schools relies solely on his biological sex. This is manifested in everything: from the choice of color of the stroller, clothes, toys to expectations and standards of behavior. Thus, girls are expected to love bows, dolls, be sociable, and have exemplary behavior. They are read fairy tales about fairies and princesses. Boys are credited with an analytical mind, restraint, and an interest in cars and airplanes. The idea that boys and girls we just have to to be different from each other has permeated our entire culture.

But many ideas about what is inherent in girls or boys turned out to be nothing more than a myth. Research has proven that children have much fewer similarities than differences. For example, differences in mathematical abilities manifested themselves in 8% of cases; differences in text comprehension were found in 1% of children. And these numbers can be continued. If you look at the data with an open mind, you will notice that all studies of sex differences have only confirmed their similarities.

But in the world of adults, gender myths are not decreasing:

Myth 1. Biological differences in sex are a given, which is undesirable and unsafe to change.

In fact, most characteristics turn out to be acquired. Different requirements, upbringing, and activities create different qualities. Thus, from childhood, girls are taught to cook and run a household; boys are instilled with a love of technology and developed physical endurance. Thus, most differences are formed as a result of socialization, which can be changed if desired.

Myth 2. Women are inferior to men in terms of intellectual abilities, logic, and professional competence.

It’s paradoxical, but in the era of women’s successes in politics, economics, and management, concerns about their mental abilities are heard from everywhere. This also supports the opinion of women’s low competence, their inability to think strategically and make decisions. But this is nothing more than an opinion.

Myth 3. Men are incapable of caring and empathy, but women are genetically disposed to show

The results of the study showed that men and women are endowed with the same emotionality. But differences in social norms and expectations prevent men from expressing their feelings. From childhood, a boy is taught that tears are a sign of an unmasculine character. Therefore, refusal of emotional firmness is nothing more than the fear of being unworthy of the title of “real man.”

Myth 4. Women dream of getting married, but men don’t need marriage.

From childhood, girls are taught the “correct” model of life, according to which it will become complete only after marriage and the birth of children. Boys live with the expectation that women are trying to lasso them, sit on their necks. But a man can achieve career growth and status only if his rear is well protected. It turns out that married life gives a man the opportunity to conquer heights, and not solve everyday problems.

Myth 5. Gender equality has been achieved, there is no point in continuing to fight.

According to statistics, 88% of recruiters purposefully search for a candidate of a certain gender. No matter how trite, but the reason for this is social stereotypes. It is believed that women are more prone to routine work, while men are ambitious and persistent. To eliminate such prejudices when hiring an employee, in some countries photos and some biographical abilities were removed from the application form. But the situation with gender inequality remains just as relevant.

Myth 6. Girls prefer soft pink, boys prefer sky blue.

The girls' department in a children's clothing store is unmistakably recognizable by the abundance of pink. Boys are given restrained shades of blue, gray and azure. But during the experiments, the connection between color preferences and gender was not revealed. Children chose pink no more often than any other color. But adult women and men named blue the most favorite and popular color.

What is gender dysphoria?

If we consider the term dysphoria, it is a mental state that is the opposite. A person in a state of dysphoria is extremely irritable and aggressive towards others. Accordingly, gender dysphoria is a state of acute dissatisfaction of a person who is unable to fully accept his gender status. This is how dictionaries describe it.

To put it simply, this is a state when the body rebels against the brain and against the soul. This is more than a psychological problem. This is a painful internal conflict that psychologists, psychiatrists, friends, loved ones and relatives are unable to reconcile. This feeling is always inside.

Gender in advertising.

In addition to the main function of “selling a product,” modern advertising has another important function - popularizing the model of relationships between men and women. In advertising pictures and commercials there are stereotyped images: men are presented as successful, rich, confident, and women are presented as erotic, economical, and caring.

For women, advertising more often offered one of three models of behavior: seductress, hostess or romantic nature. Moreover, the superiority of men was emphasized in every possible way. But today the woman in advertising looks different. More often she is an independent, versatile, integral person, ready to achieve success in life without the help of a man. She can be anyone: a pilot, a commercial director, an Olympic champion or a car mechanic.

Gender stereotypes - why are they?

Socially organized differences between the sexes are promoted and exploited by the state to its advantage. There are laws and regulations that prescribe what roles men and women should have. Although the problem of stereotyping has been solved for many years, it evokes little sympathy in the minds. And both in men's and women's.

Conflicts regarding the distribution of female and male responsibilities exist in all spheres of life, but are more often identified during work. Women have fought for their rights for a long time and have significantly succeeded in this. But gender influences our decisions even when we don’t notice it:

• When hiring, preference is given to a man, because he is unlikely to go on maternity leave.
• The same achievements at work more often lead to a promotion for a male employee.
• A man's promotion is recognized as well-deserved, while a woman's promotion is associated with her ability to use her charms.
• When new visitors enter the office, the man is a priori recognized as senior in position.

Life goes by too quickly to waste it on quarrels, figuring out “who’s in charge,” or loneliness. A strong woman is capable of loving, supporting, and inspiring. A generous man knows how to forgive, care, and love. Getting rid of stereotypes will help us achieve spiritual intimacy, which we so lack.

Conclusions:

• Gender is the social organization of relations between the sexes.
• Old, archaic ideas about femininity and masculinity limit the extent of a person.
• Due to the small number of differences between men and women, the concept of “gender” was introduced - as a certain social sex that a person accepts as a result of socialization.
• Gender stereotypes are double standards that assign certain roles to men or women.

“Gender issue”, “gender politics”, “gender studies” and other “gender topics” we very often hear, read and see on TV. Journalists are very fond of using this beautiful word, using it instead of the concept of gender, especially if it is necessary to contrast the feminine with the masculine.

What “gender” actually is and where it came from, let’s try to figure it out in this article.

The term “gender” was first used by sexologist John Money in 1955 in his work on transsexuals (people with differences in biological and psychological identity) and intersex people (people with biological characteristics of both sexes).

The term became widespread in Ukraine in the late 90s with the spread of feminist sentiments. It was used to denote non-standard forms of behavior that are attributed in society to a certain gender, female or male.

Wikipedia gives an accurate but unclear definition:

« Gender(English) gender, from lat. genus"genus") - a spectrum of characteristics related to masculinity and femininity. Depending on the context, such characteristics may refer to social structures (particularly gender and other social roles) or gender identity.”

So, let's take it in order. " The range of characteristics related to masculinity andfemininity».

The key word here is “spectrum”. In Thailand, for example, five genders are recognized, including men who have changed their gender to female and two genders for lesbians, distinguished by masculinity and femininity. Until the end of the 20th century, the Chukchi distinguished between heterosexual men, heterosexual men who wore women's clothing, homosexual men who wore women's clothing, heterosexual women and women who wore men's clothing. All these are different genders.

In other words, “gender” is the standard of female and male behavior set by society. And this means, based on the material described above, there are not two genders (male and female), but much more.

Further from the definition: “Depending on the context, such characteristics may mean social structures (particularly gender and other social roles) or gender identity»…

Everything is simple here. The whole range of outlandish combinations of men with makeup and women with masculine names, even today, is the exception rather than the rule.

The rule today is the fact that boys and girls are raised as boys and girls, according to the normative ideas of culture: “Boys don’t cry!”, “A girl can’t be dirty!”.

Anyone who has ever been to a women's forum knows exactly what a “real man” looks like. All girls who are actively searching have a list of characteristics of this gender: “I am looking for a strong, kind, wealthy and self-sufficient” or “I would like to meet a handsome, open, honest and athletic guy.”

And vice versa. Men are happy to copy the statements and photographs of “real women” as objects of desire. As a rule, these are movie and pop stars with well-developed secondary sexual characteristics.

Thus, gender stereotypes are the result of learning or copying or fashion. They are not imposed by society. They are either supported by society or not.

Now about gender roles.

In relation to personality, gender includes the following components (Judith Lorber):

– External presentation of yourself through clothes, hairstyle, cosmetics.

– Identity- personal perception of one’s gender.

– Sexual orientation– the direction of sexual desires depending on the object.

– Marital and reproductive status– types of courtship and parental roles.

– Gender beliefs– acceptance or resistance to generally accepted gender ideology.

In life it looks something like this: “a man in a skirt” is a woman with a masculine gender. A woman who is characterized by masculine behavior: determination, toughness, stubbornness, etc. And the “bazaar woman” is a man with a female gender. A man who loves to gossip, make a scandal, and be capricious.

As for transgender people, these are people who live with an identity mismatch with their biological sex, everything is much more complicated here. A man with a woman's soul and a woman with a man's soul can prefer both heterosexual and homosexual orientation and adhere to such behavior in society that dictates their identity.

A striking example of this behavior is Conchita Wurst from Austria, winner of Eurovision 2015. The real name of this man, who was born biologically a boy, is Tom Newwers.

I don't think pigeonholing standards makes us happier or freer. But one gets the impression that, against the backdrop of the diversity of human expression of will, standards, including gender ones, are today becoming the basis of our civilization. And this is worth taking into account.

from English gender - gender, sex] - a) social gender, which largely determines the characteristics of personal and group behavior and sets the legal and status-social position of the individual in society; b) biological sex, which acts as a complex of morphological and physiological characteristics that determines individual sexual behavior associated with the direction and severity of erotic feelings and experiences. In social psychology, the term “gender” is used to describe the psychological reality that is associated only with the first version of the semantic content of a given concept. Moreover, within the framework of psychological science, over the past decades, a completely valuable approach to considering the psychological characteristics of sexual differentiation in the logic of subjects’ belonging to one or another social sex has developed. It should be noted that first the term “gender” itself, and then the gender approach, owe their appearance largely to the so-called “women’s” studies. Researchers of this particular direction of psychology, including the authors of socio-psychological works, note, first of all, the following: “the use of a gender approach in various sciences has helped to rethink the state of affairs accepted as biologically determined. For example, in differential psychology, differences between men and women in visual-spatial abilities are significant - the use of a gender approach makes it possible to reveal the asymmetry of gender-role socialization, which prescribes games for girls that limit the study of visual-spatial characteristics of the objective world. The gender approach also shows that often the psychological norm is based on the “male” model of behavior, character traits, cognitive characteristics and age development as dominant, hierarchically higher and socially valuable. The relativity of this model and its social conditionality was demonstrated by studies of ethnographers who studied societies with different distribution of roles between men and women”1. Without in any way questioning the heuristic and productivity of using such a perspective to consider and analyze a number of pressing issues of modern psychology, in particular, social psychology, one cannot help but notice, unfortunately, all the increasing cases of meaningful “distortion” of the very formulation of the problem and the gradual formation such a situation when a number of studies conducted under the slogan of implementing a gender approach turn out to be not just trivial, but, moreover, generally remove the question of the need to test the validity of the hypotheses put forward due to their initial obviousness. Thus, two variants of questions in their hypothetical sound can be considered correctly posed in the logic of the gender approach, if the research is carried out within the framework of socio-psychological knowledge: a) gender differences lie in such and such; b) the peculiarities of women performing such and such a social function are in this and that, the peculiarities of men performing such and such a social function are in such and such. At the same time, quite often the hypothetical scheme of specific studies is built in a fundamentally different logic: “we assume that men and women perform this social function differently.” It would hardly be legitimate to consider such a formulation of the question productive, and, most importantly, requiring special verification - if the function is one, and the subjects implementing it are, as they say, by definition different, more interesting, if it is meaningfully justified, would be the assumption that that this particular function, despite the gender differences of the subjects, is performed similarly in both cases.

Thus, in essence, all studies of this kind are aimed at proving the same “paradoxical” hypothesis: “Men and women are different from each other.” The reason for such incidents, associated not only with methodological incorrectness, but also, as S. N. Ushakin rightly points out, with elementary semantic sloppiness in the use of English terms, lies in the desire of some researchers to follow a kind of “fashion” and literally “by the ears” to pull in any work of concepts that are, as they say, “by ear.”

Meanwhile, even a cursory analysis of the most serious studies on gender issues clearly proves that they are concentrated precisely on the substantive side of gender differences, and not at all on proving the fact of their existence.

This tradition originates in the early works of K. Horney, which appeared long before the introduction of the concept of “gender” into scientific use, which examined the specifics of the psychodynamic development of boys and girls, in particular, the peculiarities of girls’ experience of the castration complex. It was K. Horney who was responsible for the first studies of sex differences in the socio-psychological context. Thus, in particular, “Horney argued that the significant force behind the “penis envy” that Freud postulated was not anatomy, but culture. Women envy not the organ itself, but the power and privileges that people with a penis have."1 From the point of view of K. Horney, “... women often feel inferior compared to men because their lives are based on economic, political and psychosocial dependence on men. Historically, women have been treated as second-class creatures, not recognized as having equal rights with men, and raised to accept male “superiority.” Social systems, with their male dominance, constantly force women to feel dependent and incompetent.”2 For this reason, according to K. Horney, “Women... are especially likely to become compliant types who are not willing to take risks for the sake of achievement”3. At the same time, K. Horney's views and conclusions were certainly influenced by her extreme commitment to the feminist movement, she made a significant contribution to the formation of ideas about the social field, and her work served as a starting point for further research in this area. It is worth noting that for quite a long period of time, research on gender differences, which initially arose, as we see, not without the influence of feminist attitudes, was paradoxically tabooed by considerations of pseudo-political correctness in relation to women. Thus, according to D. Myers, “In the 1970s, many theorists were concerned that research on gender differences could lead to the reinforcement of stereotypes and their interpretation as inherent shortcomings of women.” Only “since the 1980s, scientists studying gender differences began to feel freer. Initially, those involved in research in this area tried to “deepen the understanding of gender equality” by refuting inflated stereotypes. Then in the 1980s and 1990s... many studies found gender differences that were every bit as large as the “substantial” behavioral ones studied in other areas of psychology.”1

These differences are most clearly polarized by the factors “independence - attachment”. As D. Myers notes, “the difference appears already from childhood. Boys strive for independence: they assert their individuality, trying to separate themselves from the teacher, usually their mother. For girls, interdependence is more acceptable: they find their own individuality in their social connections. Boys' games are more characterized by group activities. Girls' games take place in smaller groups. In these games there is less aggressiveness, more reciprocity, they often imitate the relationships of adults, and the conversations are more confidential and intimate.

Gender differences in the characteristics of “independence - attachment” are not only most clearly presented in existing studies, but also have a fairly clear theoretical basis. As noted in the first part of this ABC, clear correlations have been identified between gender and differences on the Thinking-Feeling scale within the framework of C. Jung’s typology and its subsequent development by C. Myers and I. Briggs. Most women are "feeling" types, while most men are "thinking" types. From this perspective, the higher sensitivity and empathy of women, their concentration on relationships as opposed to the logic, consistency and focus on the objective task of men is quite understandable.

As for other types of gender differences, their empirical support seems much less convincing. Thus, for example, the traditional stereotype about the social dominance of men is usually reinforced by a purely sociological analysis of the percentage of men and women occupying high-status positions in governments, parliaments, large corporations, etc. Without in any way denying the obvious fact of the overwhelming “numerical superiority” of men in In this regard, we note that it rather reflects the content of cultural traditions and social stereotypes than socio-psychological reality. Much more heuristic in this regard, studies of the behavior of men and women who are in the same or similar social roles in terms of status and substantive activity do not provide sufficiently convincing evidence of the presence of significant gender differences.

The same can be said about another persistent stereotype - about the higher aggressiveness of men compared to women. Such conclusions, as a rule, are made mainly, again on the basis of sociological data on the percentage of men and women in the total number of people convicted of certain crimes. At the same time, the obvious fact is lost sight of or deliberately ignored that, due to the obvious physical superiority of the average man over a woman, the consequences of manifestations of male aggressiveness in the social environment (namely, they are assessed, first of all, when deciding on the issue of bringing to criminal liability) are much more more destructive compared to manifestations of female aggressiveness of equal or even greater intensity. Meanwhile, as a number of studies have shown, including those using participant observation, manifestations of aggressiveness in extremely violent forms in women’s “zones” are no less common than in men’s.

From the above it follows that in his practical work a social psychologist must exercise a certain caution when considering and taking into account the so-called gender factor. Otherwise, he risks being inadequate in identifying variables that are really significant in the context of group processes, and the targeted influence on them is replaced by a search for artifacts of a conjunctural and ideological order.

A practical social psychologist, working with groups and organizations that include both men and women, must be aware of the gender characteristics that characterize their activity in solving group-wide problems.

Gender

social gender, gender as a product of culture; used in foreign psychology in four meanings: a) as a contrast to biological sex; b) as a synonym for gender; c) as an expansive term to designate both biological and social manifestations of gender; d) as a symbol of inequality of the sexes, their hierarchical organization: dominant male and subordinate - female (the latter - mainly in feminist literature).

gender

Public (and usually legally recognized) gender-role behavior as a boy or girl, man or woman. Biological traits are seen as influencing the interaction between social and psychological factors in sexual development.

Gender

Gender) In psychology, a socio-biological characteristic with the help of which people define the concepts of “man” and “woman”. Because "sex" is a biological category, social psychologists often refer to biologically based gender differences as "sex differences."

Gender

Modern social science uses the concept of gender to designate a set of social and cultural norms that society prescribes for people to fulfill depending on their biological sex. It is not biological sex, but sociocultural norms that ultimately determine the psychological qualities, behavioral patterns, types of activities, and professions of women and men. To be a man or a woman in society does not just mean having certain anatomical features - it means fulfilling certain gender roles prescribed to us.

Anthropologists, ethnographers and historians have long established the relativity of ideas about “typically male” or “typically female”: what is considered a male activity (behavior, character trait) in one society may be defined as female in another. The diversity of social characteristics of women and men observed in the world and the fundamental identity of the biological characteristics of people allow us to conclude that biological sex cannot be an explanation for the differences in their social roles that exist in different societies.

Gender is created (constructed) by society as a social model of women and men, determining their position and role in society and its institutions (family, political structure, economy, culture and education, etc.). Gender systems vary in different societies, but in each society these systems are asymmetrical in such a way that men and everything “masculine” (character traits, behavior patterns, professions, etc.) are considered primary, significant and dominant, and women and everything “feminine” /feminine" is defined as secondary, insignificant from a social point of view and subordinate. The essence of constructing gender is polarity and opposition. The gender system as such reflects asymmetrical cultural evaluations and expectations addressed to people depending on their gender. Since some point in time, in almost every society where socially prescribed characteristics have two gender types (labels), one biological sex has been assigned social roles that are considered culturally secondary. It does not matter what social roles they are: they may be different in different societies, but what is assigned and prescribed to women is assessed as secondary (second-class). Social norms change over time, but gender asymmetry remains. Thus, we can say that the gender system is a socially constructed system of inequality based on gender. Gender, therefore, is one of the ways of social stratification of society, which, in combination with such socio-demographic factors as race, nationality, class, age, organizes a system of social hierarchy.

Gender as a stratification category is considered in combination with other stratification categories (class, race, nationality, age). Gender stratification is the process by which gender becomes the basis of social stratification.

The differentiation of the concepts of sex and gender meant reaching a new theoretical level of understanding social processes. In the late 80s, feminist researchers gradually moved from criticizing patriarchy and studying specific women's experiences to analyzing the gender system. Women's studies (see Women's and Gender Studies Abroad) is gradually developing into gender studies, which emphasizes approaches according to which all aspects of human society, culture and relationships are gendered. In modern science, the gender approach to the analysis of social and cultural processes and phenomena is used very widely. Gender studies examine what roles, norms, values, and character traits society prescribes for women and men through systems of socialization, division of labor, cultural values ​​and symbols in order to build traditional gender asymmetry and hierarchy of power.