Overcoming gender asymmetry as a mechanism for regulating social conflicts in Ukrainian society

Abstract

The article focuses on the fact that the conflict model of the development of society considers the concept of “conflict” as a systemically important factor, which is a necessary and unconditional factor in the life of society. Modern social transformations have significantly changed both the dominant forms of inequality and the conflicts they generate. This has led to the rejection of the idea of primacy and monopoly of class struggle as a central theme of social conflicts and allowed to articulate the problems of conflict in local, cultural, ethnic, racial and gender contexts. The article is devoted to the study of contemporary social conflicts related to the action of inequality, which limits the full self-realization and full civic participation of people by social, cultural, economic and political means, complicates the realization of life chances. It is proved that one of the manifestations of such inequality is gender asymmetry as disproportionate representation of social and cultural roles of both sexes at the institutional and personal-interaction levels. The process of constructing and reproducing gender asymmetry is considered with the help of S. Walby’s theory of patriarchy. The action of patriarchy as a system of social structures and practices through which men dominate, oppress and exploit women is examined in two forms: public and private. The concepts of gender lenses (androcentrism, gender polarization, biological essentialism) and symbolic violence are used to explain the logic of gender asymmetry formation. One of the indicators of manifestation of gender asymmetry is analyzed Global Gender Gap Report. Political quotas as a compensation for structural barriers faced by women in the electoral process and a tool for transition from the concept of “equality of opportunity” to the concept of “equality of results” are considered. Ways of overcoming gender asymmetry at the personal-interaction and institutional levels are proposed. The main mechanisms of regulation of social conflicts of Ukrainian society caused by the action of gender asymmetry have been determined.