TRANSFORMATION OF THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN A MODERN SOCIETY: AT FAMILY AND AT WORKPLACE

• Main Authors: O. V. Kabaikina, O. A. Sushchenko
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Publishing House of Lomonosov Moscow State University 2017-10-01
• Series: Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta: Seriâ 18, Sociologiâ i Politologiâ
• Subjects: transformation of social institutions; family; career; role conflict; gender inequality; sphere of work relations; gender discrimination; marriage and family relations; family responsibilities; business activity; professional socialization; entrepreneurship
• Online Access: https://vestnik.socio.msu.ru/jour/article/view/293

According to the UN report, the question of the position and role of women in society is second the most important after the ecological and economic global problems. We observe that the process of development of civil society entails the inevitable changing roles of men and women in today’s world, women are increasingly involved in decision-making, there is full protection of gender equality, it includes the ethnic and socio-cultural aspects. Now the unshakable form of the family in which the man was the breadwinner, changes its shape. Woman seeks to equality in the family, to harmonious distribution of responsibilities between the spouses. She has become more independent, she has a desire to realize herself not only in the home but also outside it, in the professional field. Now the woman occupies the positions, which previously only men could have. And even there is the “glass ceiling” women are increasingly consolidates its positions on the top posts. She is making her way to the top because of her communication skills. Men are different from women’s by aggressive, task-oriented type of behavior that does not fit the new management model, which is becoming more and more popular nowadays. However, women owning more appropriate communication skills, can’t take root in the management environment, because they encounter with the requirements established by the men and the need of directly communicate with the opposite sex, to establish economic partnerships, and to adopt this model of communication. And getting into the man’s environment, the women are included into the competition for status and power, thus losing their unique way of communication, which is even prescribed them by gender stereotypes. This confusion of roles has been called “double bind”, when you can’t match to the same type of conduct in connection with the surrounding social conditions, and forced to maneuver between different models of behavior. Woman seeks to catch up with men not only in the field of employment, but also in the family, we also observe this process. Model family with two working parents looks more attractive and appropriate to modern realities for modern society. The traditional model of the family, where the father – breadwinner and the mother – a housewife, changes by another model of the family, where there is partnership and equality. Woman of the XXI century knows that for her happiness, it is necessary to combine the main areas of her life, namely, family and work. At the same time she have to combine them harmoniously because different roles must not overlap with each other, and the woman could realize herself fully in all spheres of life.