Features of Gender-Related Issues’ Coverage in Russian Media

The purpose of this study is to identify features of gender-related issues’ coverage in Russian media. For a long time, media content has represented the discourse of masculinity and the values of patriarchal culture. Nowadays we can see the transformation of gender roles and in these conditions media can contribute to further changes in the worldview towards gender equality. For this, actual gender issues should be covered in the media content and there should be no gender stereotyping in the media. The study developed a methodology of analyzing the Russian information space. This methodology helps to determine the gender orientation of the media. The study also calculated the Mass Media Gender Orientation Index. The methodology was tested on the examples of modern Russian online media Lenta.ru, Knife, Wonderzine. The foundation of the study was the constructivist paradigm. The work systematized theoretical approaches to media gender research, identified the types of gender identity in modern Russian society, identified elements of the media gender`s construction. The gender structure of the media audience, editorial policy of the media and media content were important elements of the analysis of online media. The secondary data analysis, 8 expert interviews, content analysis of 300 articles and a comparative analysis of elements of media gender`s construction was carried out in this study. In the studied sample the news online media has a relatively high level of content masculinization, feminist online media has a high level of content feminization, scientific and entertainment media takes a neutral position and tris to maintain a gender balance in its content. The study of features of gender-related issues’ coverage in Russian online media allowed to develop recommendations for the correct coverage of gender issues in the media content for media managers and editorial staff.