Ethnocultural factors in virtual and “real” gender stereotypes

The article presents a comparative study on collective perceptions in gender attitudes and marriage strategies approved by the representatives of the Russian ethnic group. The empirical basis for comparison combines obtrusive and unobtrusive methods. In 2014– 2015 we conducted a questionnaire survey among Russian residents of St. Petersburg (the sample was quoted by sex and age, it included 503 participants). Later, in 2017–2019, we performed a non-reactive analysis on the Russian communities in VKontakte network (sample was divided by value orientations, the total number of individual users included 1.051 million people). Big data analytics services, digital Ethnography methods and projective techniques helped us to answer the following questions: – What features does a “just Russian woman” and a “just Russian man” have in the collective consciousness? – What are the structural differences in these perceptions? – How are gender and marriage stereotypes manifested in the “real world” and in cyberspace? Thus, we obtained the conclusion that gendered patterns in both studies changed much more slowly than the models of the marital relationship. In both studies, the content of Russian women portrait was more detailed than the image of a Russian man. Russian social media users have demonstrated a commitment to the Patriarchal model, which was less evident in the questionnaire. In addition, the high level of radicalism and obvious religious values were the reason why women were more consistent with gender and marriage attitudes in the virtual environment.