THE QUARANTINE CRISIS: NEW GENDER PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

The article presents the results of a theoretical analysis of the role of the crisis in the context of quarantine for gender issues. It is emphasized that human life is accompanied by crises that can be normative (age-related) and non-normative (biographical). It is determined that the way out of the crisis is through progress (getting new knowledge and ways to interact with the world) or regression (the process of “getting stuck” in the past).
It is determined that the issue of crisis is studied in philosophy, psychology, and sociology. The designated scientific directions tried to explain the nature of the crisis and determine its role in the life of man and society. Depending on the initial methodological views, scientists put either the individual or society first.
The role of quarantine measures for triggering the crisis is analyzed as a reaction to abrupt changes in the social conditions of human existence. It is noted that the crisis marks the transition from the old to the new. This is a bifurcation point that divides reality into what was and what will no longer be.
It is emphasized that the successful passage of the normative crisis allows a person (child) to: expand the system of motivational motives; form an appropriate system of knowledge and skills for the implementation of these motivational motives. In the context of a biographical (non-normative) crisis, which occurs as a reaction to the inability of a person to implement his life plan, the following ways out are possible: 1) change the situation and remove obstacles (but in the situation of closed state borders, the elimination of this obstacle is not subject to man, it cannot change it); 2) refusal to achieve the desired (but such a refusal must go through certain stages in order for there to be a real acceptance of the situation).
It is indicated that psychology identifies four key critical life situations: stress, frustration, conflict, and crisis. Actually, the latter is a state that is determined by the problem that confronts a person. This is a problem that a person cannot solve in the short term in the usual way. The above analysis leads us to the conclusion that the situation of quarantine is, in fact, a crisis. Because here there are key characteristics that make it impossible to implement a life plan: a sharp breakdown of the usual, which is also accompanied by economic difficulties (loss of profit/work), physical restrictions (restriction of movement, closure in space (“four walls”), issues of access to medical services), social deprivation (reduction of social contacts).
If we talk about the gender aspect of crisis experience, a number of studies have shown that there are patterns of crisis experience that may be more typical for men or women. This is due to the specifics of socio-cultural expectations that are put forward regarding the behavior of men and women. So, in the vast majority of cases, the stereotype of femininity allows women to be “weak”, share their problems and experiences, and ask for help.
The stereotype of masculinity, which is fixed in society, instills men with “masculine” behavior, such as: independent problem solving, independence in decision-making, taboo on showing weakness
However, along with stereotypical gender responses to the crisis, a different path is possible, especially in the context of partnerships. In particular, A. Giddens emphasizes that in the modern world there is a transformation of intimate social relations towards their democratization. In addition, democratic changes in a particular marriage (partnership), which the scientist referred to as the “micro level”, determine changes at the level of society (macro level).
Any crisis in society does not bypass the gender issue. This means that the current crisis gives Ukraine and Ukrainian families a chance to rethink the established gender stereotypes and go on the path of egalitarian (equal) relations. In future scientific research, we consider it necessary to monitor the dynamics of changes in marital (partner) relations after the end of quarantine.