The dynamics of gender representations in the context of Estonian social transformations
Date
2018-05-11
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Abstract
Eesti taasiseseisvumisaeg on kantud kiiretest ja vastuolulistest muutustest ühiskonnas, millega kohanemine pole kõigi ühiskonnagruppide jaoks olnud ühtviisi kerge. Majanduslikule edule ja materiaalsetele hüvedele orienteeritud väärtuste domineerimine ei ole toetanud post-materiaalsete väärtuste esiletõusu, mis puudutab ka näiteks soolise võrdõiguslikkusega seotud väärtusi. Sooga seotud hoiakute muutumine määrab aga oluliselt sooliselt tasakaalustatuma ühiskonna arengut.
Minu doktoritöö eesmärgiks on uurida sooliste representatsioonide dünaamikat Eesti ühiskonnas sotsiaalsete muutuste taustal, vaadeldes seda läbi diskursiivse enesepositsioneerimise ning staatuse kujunemisega seotud protsessidest lähtuvalt. Lisaks analüüsib doktoritöö infoühiskonna mõjusid soolisele sotsialiseerimisele. Töö tulemused näitavad, et soolisusega seotud teemadest rääkimine on varjatud ja diskursiivne ning toimub tihtipeale viisil, mis kannab ennekõike olemasoleva soosüsteemi põlistamise ja sooga seotud traditsiooniliste normidega sobitumise funktsiooni ning mis avaldub eriti selgelt tugevate maskuliinsete väärtustega ja konkurentsile orienteeritud (organisatsiooni)kultuuris. Teisalt aga ei saa rääkida selgetest soolistest identiteetidest ega öelda, kes on taolises soosüsteemis nn võitjad või kaotajad. Muutused ühiskonnas on loonud soolist ebavõrdsust erineval ning kohati isegi vastuolulisel moel. Seetõttu tuleb tähele panna, et soolised hierarhiad, läbipõimituna vanuse, rahvuse ja sotsiaalse staatusega, moodustavad keerukaid ja mitmetahulisi struktuure ühiskondlike muutuste kontekstis. Et muutuste kandjaks peetakse sageli just nooremaid põlvkondi, arvatakse sageli, et uued põlvkonnad toovad kaasa muutusi, eriti just kiirete tehnoloogiliste arengute kontekstis. Tulemused aga näitavad, et soolised mustrid on ka siin suhteliselt vastuolulised ning ühel või teisel viisil soolisi representatsioone taastootvad, mis omakorda peegeldub ka vanemate ebakindluses ühelt poolt kasvatusstiilide (soolistatud) valikul, kuid teisalt ka kiirete tehnoloogiliste ja sotsiaalsete muutustega kohanemisel.
Estonia is a country that has faced numerous changes in the economic, political and social sphere in recent decades. Change in the value system has not been a linear process. Instead, it has been a mixture of the asymmetrical development of different values and unbalanced shifts for different social groups. The struggle between different value orientations is also visible in the gender system, with complex and multifaceted inequalities between men and women. My thesis aims to explore and contribute to the understanding of the dynamics of gender representations in the context of multiple and often paradoxical social transformations. The results of the thesis reveal that the simultaneity of change and stability in gender representations clearly reflects the overall trajectories of transformations in the Estonian society. The ambivalent and unbalanced changes in society are present in mindsets of people and do not allow for clear and undirected solutions in understanding, contextualising and explaining gender representations. The analysis of the self-positioning strategies of female professionals showed that gender related symbols and interactions are hidden and discursive, but in many ways help to preserve the status quo and therefore reproduce gender stereotypes. Rapid changes in society and life cultures create multiple paradoxes in understanding gender as the central factor in the context of societal changes. Mixed with different factors, such as age, ethnicity and social status, gender is part of the process of creating positions in social hierarchies. As young people and children are thought to bring change to old beliefs, especially in the context of rapid technological development, there is hope that new generations and new socialisation patterns will change gender representations. The results of my thesis, however, showed no clear-cut differences. The development and use of new technologies is creating paradoxes in which gender is intertwined with other characteristics and it is difficult to say what changes what. It is possible that gender stereotypes are unchangeable by nature and that they hinder transformative aspects in society. At the same time, rapid societal changes can lead to new formations and changes in gender representations. The parental mediation of children's internet use as a form of socialisation supports the reproduction of gender representations, but involves uncertainty and paradoxical, as well as unbalanced, parental practices.
Estonia is a country that has faced numerous changes in the economic, political and social sphere in recent decades. Change in the value system has not been a linear process. Instead, it has been a mixture of the asymmetrical development of different values and unbalanced shifts for different social groups. The struggle between different value orientations is also visible in the gender system, with complex and multifaceted inequalities between men and women. My thesis aims to explore and contribute to the understanding of the dynamics of gender representations in the context of multiple and often paradoxical social transformations. The results of the thesis reveal that the simultaneity of change and stability in gender representations clearly reflects the overall trajectories of transformations in the Estonian society. The ambivalent and unbalanced changes in society are present in mindsets of people and do not allow for clear and undirected solutions in understanding, contextualising and explaining gender representations. The analysis of the self-positioning strategies of female professionals showed that gender related symbols and interactions are hidden and discursive, but in many ways help to preserve the status quo and therefore reproduce gender stereotypes. Rapid changes in society and life cultures create multiple paradoxes in understanding gender as the central factor in the context of societal changes. Mixed with different factors, such as age, ethnicity and social status, gender is part of the process of creating positions in social hierarchies. As young people and children are thought to bring change to old beliefs, especially in the context of rapid technological development, there is hope that new generations and new socialisation patterns will change gender representations. The results of my thesis, however, showed no clear-cut differences. The development and use of new technologies is creating paradoxes in which gender is intertwined with other characteristics and it is difficult to say what changes what. It is possible that gender stereotypes are unchangeable by nature and that they hinder transformative aspects in society. At the same time, rapid societal changes can lead to new formations and changes in gender representations. The parental mediation of children's internet use as a form of socialisation supports the reproduction of gender representations, but involves uncertainty and paradoxical, as well as unbalanced, parental practices.
Description
Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone
Keywords
social representation, gender, gender stereotypes, gender roles, social changes, Estonia