What’s Impossible – to Distinguish or to Equate? «Male» and «Female» Perception of their Generation’s Life (Kyiv Case)

Abstract

The article deals with certain features of perception by men and women, which were related to life of their generation. The author points out that the results of analysing these features make the symbolic aspect of gender inequality suitable for decoding. Understanding of gender inequality in the interpretativism context is outlined. In this context, one of the most relevant areas for gaining new knowledge is deciphering of various «male» and «female» markers in the cities. The article disclosed how socially and culturally determined differences in the life perception by men and women relate to broadly perceived notions of «male» and «female» home things, talk topics, leisure activities, and character traits. It was found that both «male» and «female» life perception in a big city were «split up». There were almost completely no tendencies to follow «male» values for men, as well as to follow «women» values for women. There was no difference between men and women in morality for people with different dominant values. Regarding the differential subjects of everyday experience, there was a synthetised, «male-female» life perception too, with some coincidences of biological sex with stereotyped social «male» or «female» accent. Both men and women rarely remained reflections of the images of «originally genuine men» and «originally genuine women», while there was mutual «borrowing» features from traditionally opposing images. In most cases, both men and women were equally motivated to developing, both physically and socially and in self-realisation. From the «male» things left for men, there was more attention paid to those objects of everyday life, which some kind of hobby materialises in, as well as to entertainments in general, politics, sports, all scientific, technical, and technological things, «nature and weather» themes and outdoor rest, planning and discussion on the future, active intellectual and passive creative leisure activities, and negative manifestations of human nature. From the «female» things left for women, there was more attention paid to books and reading, relatives, housework and outdoor work, health, theaters, fashion and secular life, and positive manifestations of human nature.