The Evaluation and the Prospects of Social Transformation in the Dimension of Gender Balance in Russian Society

Today in the developed world the evolution of social structures and processes becomes dynamic and pervasive like never before. Every society is trying to find its own way how to adapt to the rapidly changing economic, social and demographic realities in order to avoid possible risks and tensions. The complexity and ambiguity of the transformation processes in modern Russian society burdened by the logic of global transition, require distinct examination of their results from the position of various social factors. The promising object for analysis is the emerging new middle class that can perform stabilizing social functions as well as initiate further development of the society. The social request for the state can be defined as the development of legal and institutional frameworks for balanced public and private self-realization of the new middle class in order to the full implementation of its creative potential. The transformation of class and gender structure of the contemporary Russian society can be regarded as a sign of transition from the institutionalized patriarchal society to the post-modern society, which is individualized and de-institutionalized from the standpoint of self-identification and selection of behavioral strategies. The interplay of the public (education, work, political and civil activities) and private (family, parenthood, intimate relations) spheres in the biography of any modern individuals is experienced mostly in a conflict-ridden relationship rather than in the desired combination. Seeking balance of public and private in individual’s life is one of the actively debated topics in the European academic discourse, which, in our opinion, succeed in determining of the optimal conditions and strategies of combining education, employment, family and parenthood. The cooperation of the state and the science is embodied in real-world patterns of social and family policies in Western Europe. In view of the common nature of many social and cultural processes in the global world it is considered to be possible to use European experience in the development of recommendations for the factors in Russian social policy. Required initiatives should be linked with the formation of the legal and institutional framework for gender equality and balance in the distribution of opportunities and responsibilities between men and women in contemporary Russian society in its both public and private spheres. Key words: social transformations, modernization, new middle class, creative class, gender, family policy, public and private spheres.

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