Volume 27, Nº 3 (2024)
Social Theory
Theoretical models of digital inequality (E. Helsper, I. Mariën): comparative review
Resumo
The article focuses on explanatory schemes, research logic, heuristic capabilities of the online and offline correlation model of exclusion fields (E. Helsper), as well as the continuum model of social and digital inequality, profiling risk groups of digital exclusion (I. Mariën, L. Van Audenhove, A. Asmar) in the explication of the digital divide three-level construct. It is shown that modern studies of digital inclusion are based on the classical sociological conceptualizations of inequality (A. Giddens, P. Bourdieu), the capabilities approach (A. Sen), the intersectional theory (K. Crenshaw). The models of E. Helsper and Belgian researchers are based on the idea of the relationship between social and digital isolation, the reinterpretation of the Bourdieusian categories of "field", "resource", "capital". According to E. Helsper, the fields of exclusion are differentiated by the amount of resources, they are autonomous, but interconnected, they frame individual actions. The operationalization of the concept of personal resources into an analytical model of exclusion fields allows E. Helsper to take into account the freedom of choice of an individual in the construction of online practices. Socio-digital inequality is characterized as the inequality in digital resources and opportunities. The E. Helsper model is based on A. Giddens' theory of structuration in understanding the relationship between sociotechnical structure and user action. The heuristic potential of the capabilities approach in the explanation of digital inclusion is revealed. The Belgian model is based on the analytical construct of E. Helsper, focusing on the identification of exclusion risk factors relevant to the resources of the individual. The digital divide is interpreted as a continuum, a range of positions on a scale from deep exclusion to deep inclusion. In the model of I. Marien and co-authors, eight profiles of (non)users are identified, social and digital predictors of inequality are identified, the dynamism and procedural nature of digital integration and isolation are emphasized. The model shows that socially and economically vulnerable groups can be active users of online technologies. The differences between continuum model of the social and digital inequality and the conceptual construct of E. Helsper are revealed: instead of mutual influence mediators of online and offline fields of exclusion, indicators of isolation risk are proposed, direct and indirect cause and effect relationships between the determinants of social and digital exclusion are established. It was concluded that it is expedient to use models in the study of digital divide third level.
The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology. 2024;27(3):7-38
7-38
Sociology of the Family
“For the joy of mom…and dad”: how does a childbirth affect the subjective well-being of mothers and fathers
Resumo
In the article, the authors address the issue of gender inequality and compare levels of subjective well-being of men and women in Russia. Subjective well-being allows us to consider and summarize the advantages in various spheres taking into account their importance for a person and therefore allows us to assign the more (or less) advantageous position of some in relation to others. In this paper, differences in the subjective well-being of men and women are calculated at the stage of childbirth and subsequent upbringing of children, since this period is characterized by fluctuations in life satisfaction, and the question of who benefits more from the new role of a parent becomes debatable: a man or a woman. The empirical analysis is based on a fixed-effects model built on panel data RLMS HSE for 2016–2021. The subjective well-being is measured using a question on respondent's life satisfaction. The results of the analysis show that childbirth is associated with an increase in subjective well-being for both women and men. A married couple with a newborn baby feels more satisfied, regardless of material affluence and age when the father or mother gave birth to a child. The data allow us to state that women, becoming mothers, do not receive additional benefits compared to men: a childbirth is equally rewarded by an increase in life satisfaction of both mothers and fathers. However, the joy of parents does not last long: the stage of upbringing of 3–4-year-old children has an equally negative effect on the life satisfaction of respondents of both sexes.
The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology. 2024;27(3):39-64
39-64
Institutionalization of gender-sexual and reproductive-marital culture as a reflection of family and marriage transformation
Resumo
The change in the social, socio-economic, cultural and ethical paradigm of Russian society in the 1990s had an impact on the institution of family and marriage. As a result of transformational processes in these social institutions, contradictions arose in sexual, reproductive and marital culture. Sociological researches conducted on the basis of Perm university by the authors of this article during the 50 years (1969–2022) made it possible to determine the place of family, marriage, children and love in the system of life values of modern students. These investigations helped to define the nature of traditional, neotraditional and latent gender culture, to identify the socio-cultural preferences of students in the reproductive and matrimonial sphere. First of all, these preferences concern the dynamics of changing student’s attitudes to the number of children in marriage, taking into account the prospects for the future. Student’s preferences also include the character of the “work-family” choice and their attitudes to auxiliary reproductive methods. Matrimony is considered through functional-gender stereotyping within the framework of sexual, reproductive, professional and labor culture. In the article were highlighted the institutional factors according to the type of social institutions and their institutional and role functions. The main conclusion of the study is that the family remains a popular form of social organization of the modern human’s life. A new sexual-gender tradition has been formed. Youth is the main institutional subject, with a certain preservation of the role of parents. Religious and political institutes are “the weak link”. A historical centennial period (20th century) is not sufficient time during which past traditions could be replaced by new ones. Old traditions are preserved both in social practice and in a latent state. The sexual, gender, family and marriage revolution is an endless social process.
The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology. 2024;27(3):65-105
65-105
Political Sociology
Quantitative analysis of socio-demographic factors of revolutionary destabilization: results and prospects
Resumo
The classification of theories of revolution by generations, carried out by the American sociologist Jack Goldstone, is one of the most common ways of systematizing research in this direction. In addition to the four generations of revolution theories already rooted in the scientific discourse, a new fifth generation is being formed in modern social science. This article presents the results of the analysis of socio-demographic factors of revolutionary destabilization, which, according to the authors, can be attributed to the works of the fifth generation of theories of revolution. Quantitative cross-national studies of socio-demographic factors of revolutionary destabilization conducted to date show that the same socio-demographic factors can have very different effects on the likelihood of armed insurgencies, on the one hand, and unarmed revolutionary uprisings, on the other. These studies show that unarmed revolutionary events are more likely in economically moderately developed countries with low infant mortality, relatively high urban populations, relatively high mean years of schooling and median age, and not very high proportion of the youth in the total adult population. On the other hand, armed insurgencies are most likely in the poorest countries with very high infant mortality, low percentages of urban populations, low mean years of schooling and median age, and very high proportions of the youth in adult population (“youth bulges”). On the other hand, such important socio-demographic indicators as high population and high socio-economic inequality increase the risks of both armed and unarmed revolutionary destabilization.
The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology. 2024;27(3):106-145
106-145
Sociology of Communication
To watch or to ignore: what kind of content are news avoiders (un)ready to consume?
Resumo
This study is based on 44 semi-structured interviews with news avoiders, as well as 23 interviews with “news oscillators” — news consumers characterized by regular switches between intensive news consumption and avoidance. The findings indicate that news avoidance is positioned as a self-preservation behavior, primarily manifested through the refusal to engage with emotionally distressing topics such as violence, armed conflicts, and general political issues. Additionally, there is a reluctance to consume news perceived as biased. However, participants mentioned their willingness or obligation to consume information necessary for work or education, including neutral media coverage, sports and cultural news, as well as light and entertaining news. The social framing of agenda-setting messages also plays a significant role. If close acquaintances portray news on a particular topic as positive or enjoyable, it can encourage news avoiders to familiarize themselves with the relevant information. Nevertheless, the limited informational value of the entertainment content, which participants express readiness to consume, is unlikely to contribute to political education, shaping personal opinions, or fostering civic engagement. However, this does not imply that such news lacks functionality. It can serve as a coping mechanism during crises, allowing individuals to “disconnect” from situations beyond their influence and thereby regulate their emotional reactions.
The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology. 2024;27(3):146-167
146-167
Social networks as frames: user experience analysis
Resumo
The article contains the results of an empirical study conducted in 2023 by the semi-structured interview method (N=11) and aimed at identifying differences in the use of social media platforms by modern young people. While the main discussions are around the differences between online and offline communications, the variability of user experience on various Internet resources often escapes the attention of researchers. In this article, based on the results of empirical study and the concept of frames by E. Goffman social media platforms were considered as specific contexts that create boundaries, as well as possible, acceptable, desirable behavior of users in them. As a result of the data analysis, differences in the users' appeal to three social media — VKontakte, Telegram and Instagram were described. Analytical categories were identified — the main criteria that underlie the differences perceived by users — communication, audience, content, and the main goals of using the social network. The interpretation of the growing popularity of Telegram in the context of trends of social change is given. The Telegram frame makes communication in this platform similar to face-to-face interpersonal interaction, which reflects the growing demand for privacy on the Internet and corresponds to the trend of post-virtualization. Thus, social media platforms may be considered to be different situations of interaction, the meaning of what is happening in which is recognized by users, and further activity is organized in accordance with this meaning.
The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology. 2024;27(3):168-195
168-195
Sociology of Professions
Sustainability of the high school teaching profession in Russia: case study amid the COVID–19 pandemic
Resumo
Embedded in Russian social reality school teacher profession has been demonstrating its crisis condition throughout the post-Soviet decades. In Russian research papers the problems of aging of the teacher corps, low competence, low economic returns from labor, and declining professional prestige were described among other things (e.g. the COVID-19 epidemic has become a significant challenge for schools and the teaching profession). However, against this background, we observe relative stability of the teacher profession in the country. This situation requires to hypothesize that there are factors and causes which allow to overcome crisis both at individual and institutional levels. This study is based on a long-term series of interviews with teachers conducted during the so-called “emergency learning”, throughout the years of coronavirus widespread. The article shows that the ethical core of the teaching profession in Russia ensured stability of the profession during the years of transit from Soviet to post-Soviet society. However, in COVID-19 years this professional ethos, which dates back to the ideas of the Enlightenment, has been in a state of visible erosion. Teachers, especially those of younger generations, were forced to look for new professional landmarks and new substance of professional ethos. Sustainability of the modern teaching profession in Russia, including the efficiency of its reproduction, depends on the success or failure of the ethos change and transition. The contours of the new ethos, which is dependent today on technological change, are formed by the ideas of lability rather than rigidity, stability comes from productivity, adaptability and reaction speed.
The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology. 2024;27(3):196-215
196-215
Male educators in pre-school education: a case study of public and professional discourse in the 1980's in the USSR
Resumo
The social position of the pre-school educator profession is often problematised in public, political and academic discourses almost all over the world and in Russia, but the experiences of Russian male educators remain without due attention. In this case, we turn to an analysis of the discourse around one of the first male educators who, in the 1980s, found himself at the centre of a public discussion about the status of the kindergarten teaching profession and the place of men in it, as well as within the corporate discourse about 'women's' work and professionalisation. Article about one of the first male educators (1986 Izvestia), letters to the editor responding to article and an interview with the article's protagonist formed the study's empirical basis. Although neither the public nor colleagues doubted the ability of a man to perform the duties of an educator, they differed in their assessment of the uniqueness of a man as a teacher and the need for him for children, the professional community and society as a whole. In general, it is important that ideas about male educators do not exist in isolation, but are based on an opinion about the profession in general and its status characteristics in particular. The current discourse on male educators is in many ways similar to that of the Soviet Union, but there have also been changes.
The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology. 2024;27(3):216-249
216-249
Book Review
Is it possible to step into the same river twice? Book review: Norkus Z. (2023) The Great Restoration: Post-Communist Transformations from the Viewpoint of Comparative Historical Sociology of Restorations. Leiden; Boston: Brill
The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology. 2024;27(3):250-261
250-261