Gender and culture: A Russian perspective

Abstract

This chapter presents a cutting-edge review of cross-cultural gender research in the polyethnic and multicultural context of Russia. The study, which undertakes a narrative meta-analysis of PhD thesis summaries and monographs published in Russian, identifies the key dimensions of gender issues. The ethnic groups under consideration include: Ossetian, Ingush, Chechen, Lezgin, Avar, Kumyk (North Caucasus), Buryat, Yakut, Khaka (Siberia), Tatar (Volga region), and Komi populations living in the northwest region of Russia, as well as ethnic Russians. Currently, Russia is experiencing a high level of ethnic tension. Gender inequality of women, gender asymmetry in the life expectancy of men, and underrepresentation of women in politics and decision-making also persist. The studies selected for the analysis were grouped according to the following psychological categories and characteristics: family relations and family gender roles; gender and cultural differences in professional self-realization and organizational behavior; gender self-identification; gender and cultural differences in aggressive behavior; and gender and cultural stereotypes in the media and in political discourse and practices in current-day Russia. The analysis revealed cultural differences in gender roles and social representations of gender in the family and in professional self-realization (understood as fulfillment of one’s own potential in different spheres), and gender and cultural differences in aggressive behavior. The chapter explores the asymmetry of gender roles from the perspective of the individual, and examines media reflections on gender roles and inequality of women in politics, governance, and decision-making in modern Russia.