Introduction. The article presents the results of a study devoted to the study of gender stereotypes among students. The functions of gender stereotypes, the main trends of their transformation in modern society and the peculiarities of this process in Russia are considered.

Materials and Methods. The study was conducted using a modified version of the questionnaire by O. L. Kustova. Students were asked to imagine the image of an “ideal man" and an "ideal woman”, and then evaluate the degree of intensity of the characteristics of these images. The characteristics offered to the students were personal qualities and descriptions of behavioral characteristics, which were divided into “corresponding to the gender stereotype” and "not corresponding to the gender stereotype". A 10-point scale was used for the assessment.

Results. In the responses of respondents of both sexes, when describing the female ideal image, the average score of characteristics that do not correspond to the gender stereotype is higher than the corresponding ones. As for the male ideal image, it is evaluated by respondents of both sexes more conservatively: the average score of traits corresponding to the traditional gender stereotype is higher than those that do not correspond.

Discussion. In an ideal female image, there is an increase in the expression of features that do not correspond to the traditional gender stereotype. This is an expected phenomenon, as modern women increasingly associate their personal growth with self-realization at work. The ideal male image, although becoming more multifaceted, in general, retains the predominance of the features of the traditional male stereotype. Historical and cultural factors play an important role in this: the dominance of traditional values in Russian culture; the accelerated entry of women into the labor market in the post-revolutionary period, their forced employment in male professions in the war and post-war years. Having experienced the burden of hard male labor, Russian women strive to have a strong man next to them. Men's responsibility for providing for the family and difficult activities with an orientation towards equality and the democratic nature of family relations is shared by most men.

Conclusion. The results of the study show that traditional gender stereotypes are still very strong in the minds of Russian youth, although their transformation is underway. The female traditional gender stereotype is eroded much more intensively than the male one, which, on the contrary, is largely preserved. At the moment, it is possible to identify some inconsistencies in the expectations of boys and girls regarding the distribution of leadership and the performance of various social roles in the family.

The traditional image of the “ideal woman” in the minds of Russian youth is being intensively eroded, while the image of the "ideal man" continues to largely retain traditional features;

The erosion of the traditional female image is an expected phenomenon, since modern women increasingly associate their personal growth with self-realization at work; the preservation of the traditional image of a "strong man" can be explained both by the peculiarities of Russian culture, with its orientation to traditional values, and by the historical peculiarity of the dynamics of the division of labor between the sexes in our country;

It is possible to identify some inconsistencies in the expectations of boys and girls regarding the distribution of leadership and the performance of various social roles in the family.

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