“Childfree” as a created image of a successful woman in context of her gender role in the modern world (based on modern TV-series)

Ural Institute of Management, Branch of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Yekaterinburg, Russia

^* Corresponding author: garaeva-ei@ranepa.ru

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the formation of the image of a successful woman by modern cinema, foreign and domestic TV series. Based on the study of the latter in conditions through sociological methods, the change in the gender role of women in the conditions of modern nonlinear transformations is considered, one of the manifestations of which is “childfree” - a rationally conscious, rather than sensually emotional rejection of the birth and upbringing of children. This choice is often determined by a woman’s desire to independently achieve certain professional heights, quality of life at the level of modern standards, to be beautiful and youthful. Such an image is gradually formed by modern Western, and, often, Russian cinema and advertising. These values also determine the reproductive strategies of modern youth, who, as the study showed, perceive children as an obstacle to self-realization. The “ideal woman” - strong, independent, beautiful in the view of modern Russian girls pushes into the background a woman-mother, a woman-mistress. According to the author of the study, the emotional perception of such an image of a successful woman, imposed by TV series, leads to a rational choice of a strategy of “non-parenthood” in real life.