НОВЫЕ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ И ГЕНДЕРНАЯ АСИММЕТРИЯ
NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND GENDER ASYMMETRY

Summary/Abstract: Gender asymmetry persists within the Russian political system, while the influence of the digital environment on the political sphere continues to grow. This article seeks to examine the impact of new technologies — particularly social media — on women’s success in society and political careers, as well as their role in overcoming stereotypes. A multi-stage stratified sample was used to select 84 influential politicians (42 men and 42 women) who actively maintain their accounts on social networks. A set of quantitative metrics was developed, content and frame analysis was conducted to compare the online practices of male and female politicians, their digital activity, content specifics, audience size, and engagement levels. It was found that women are inferior to men in the regularity of publications and the size of the audience, but their subscribers show more active interaction. While the topics discussed are often similar, differences lie in communication style and focus areas — female politicians are far more likely to address gender-related issues, a theme nearly absent in male politicians’ discourse. Regarding social media’s potential to mitigate gender asymmetry, the findings suggest that in current Russian realities the situation depends not so much on technology as on the social context, which is still dominated by traditional values. Thus, despite the potential of digital platforms, serious changes are possible only with the transformation of public sentiment.

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