Research of the problem of “masculinity crisis” in the gender picture of the world of modern youth by the focus group method

The potential of qualitative methods in studying the image of the human world in General and the gender picture of the world in particular is considered. The necessity of using qualitative methods that make it possible to explore both the result and the process of constructing the image of the world is substantiated. Students ‘ ideas about the masculinity crisis (as part of the gender picture of the world), which were obtained by the focus group method, are analyzed. The results show the ongoing transformation of traditional masculinity — in the sphere of family relations, in the division of roles and functional responsibilities between men and women, in the appearance of modern men, in the images of men in the media, in the peculiarities of the interaction between men and women. The reasons for this transformation are socio-economic factors, features of modern socialization of boys, the crisis of the institution of marriage, expressed, in particular, in the increase in the number of divorces. The article emphasizes that the” internal “implication of the formulated judgments would be difficult to” catch “ with the help of quantitative methods. Qualitative methods enhance the researcher’s ability to consider complex subjective and rapidly changing systems, such as the image of the world and, in particular, the gender picture of the world.

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