Gender Socialization: to the Problem of Defining a Notion

Abstract

The article deals with the definition of the concept of gender socialization of students, the study of which revealed a variety of formulations and definitions of socialization and its various aspects, in particular gender, both in foreign and domestic studies. The analysis of this category allows us to outline the positions that bring us closer to its understanding. Firstly, the key notion is the concept of gender, that as well as the concept of gender socialization in general to be the topic of researchers’ discussion revealing unanimity on an issue of their definition caused by a number of factors; secondly, we approach the definition of gender socialization from the standpoint of social constructivism and social reproduction of gender, that makes it possible to change and deconstruct both the gender development of the individual and interpersonal gender relations; thirdly, in our understanding, the gender socialization is a means of reducing gender inequalities in the interpersonal interaction of students; fourthly, the gender socialization is contextually dependent and dynamic, which accounts for many factors, both at the individual and institutional levels, that influence the process of gender socialization of students and determine its nature.