GENDER STEREOTYPES IN THE UKRAINIAN SOCIETY

an object that occurs in the presence of the public, people [[3], с. 1187]. Taking into account the essence of state policy, in our opinion, talking about it as public will be erroneous. State policy is formed and implemented not by the public (people, people), but by authorized officials of state authorities. Most likely, this confusion arises due to the fact that officials of government bodies that are directly related to public policy are chosen by citizens of the country by voting. The people in this case only delegate their authority, but do not choose the direction and ways of implementing public policy in various fields. Another case is a referendum, where the will of the majority is taken into account when making strategic political and economic decisions. All of the above can be counted in favor of the fact that the policy implemented by public authorities cannot be considered public policy, since the public remains outside these processes turning into passive observers, sometimes turning into subjects of evaluation.

an object that occurs in the presence of the public, people [[3], с. 1187]. Taking into account the essence of state policy, in our opinion, talking about it as public will be erroneous. State policy is formed and implemented not by the public (people, people), but by authorized officials of state authorities. Most likely, this confusion arises due to the fact that officials of government bodies that are directly related to public policy are chosen by citizens of the country by voting. The people in this case only delegate their authority, but do not choose the direction and ways of implementing public policy in various fields. Another case is a referendum, where the will of the majority is taken into account when making strategic political and economic decisions. All of the above can be counted in favor of the fact that the policy implemented by public authorities cannot be considered public policy, since the public remains outside these processes turning into passive observers, sometimes turning into subjects of evaluation. At the present stage of development in Ukraine, the topic of the state gender policy strategy has not yet formed, which is caused by its contradiction, versatility and dynamism. In addition, this issue has not received a proper study within the framework of science of state theory and law in Ukraine. Gender equality is one of the fundamental principles of the development of civil society and the constitutional state. The formulation and implementation of gender policy is main mechanism of rule of law support.
Issues related to gender inequality are very relevant in relation to the problem of biased attitudes towards the social, cultural roles of women and men. Traditional understanding of this issue in modern society is perceived in most ways as archaic, as no longer true. However, gender stereotypes that exist in the unconscious affect the creation of such serious problems as domestic violence, unequal conditions in the labor market, degrading honor and dignity. Gender inequality is one of the main causes of human rights abuses in Ukraine, despite Ukraine's commitment to promoting gender equality by signing a number of international papers at both transnational and regional levels. Even paying the attention with constant progress of Ukrainian legislation on equality of rights and freedoms of women and men, the development of all other components of state gender policy in Ukrainian society is rated as very low.
The main basis of the of gender behavior formation is gender stereotypes; it is the perceptions in society about the social roles of men and women, their psychological and physiological features. Being exposed to gender stereotypes, we perceive men and women without analyzing their personality, their aspirations. When thinking in a way we erroneously affirm stereotyped visions and understandings of men's or women's social roles. If a society is guided by stereotypes, it attaches much greater importance to men as active figures of society, for ,they believe, most men is a leading force in society, and a woman is perceived as an individual of less importance to society and therefore must be subordinate to her husband [1]. If we take the statistics among Ukrainians, which are decisive in proving the existence of gender stereotypes, almost 80% of men believe that the head of the family must be a man, and that the care of children and housekeeping should be taken up by a woman. It is interesting that more than 40% of men and a quarter of women agreed with the thesis that a woman should not bother her husband with household chores and only 28% of men and slightly more than a third of women believe that a woman has the right to neglect homework at any time and do her own things.
There are many international legal acts on equal rights and opportunities for women and men. Gender equality is central to the human rights system and to the values of the United Nations. One of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, adopted by world leaders in 1945, the demand of equal rights for men and women, as well as the protection and promotion of women's rights, is the responsibility of each state. In accordance with the 1997 Amsterdam Protocol, gender equality is a fundamental principle of the European Community.
According to the results of the study, gender stereotypes that correspond to patriarchal ideology and practice of everyday life dominate the mass consciousness of old-age Ukrainian citizen. But the situation is being changed. The young generation strongly refuses the previous social and cultural gender roles.
In Ukraine among the wide-spread gender stereotypes there are the followings.
Every woman should perform first of all a role of wife and mother. The traditional, deep-rooted gender stereotype is one that a working, educated, married woman is perceived by society first and foremost as a wife and mother, who must first and foremost support her husband, often in spite of her own desire for self-performance and professional success. Under such a stereotype a woman should have children, make a contribution to family income, but do not consider work as a career path.
Another stereotype is that women cannot have equal rights with men in family and other types of relations. However, it should be remembered that in 1979 the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was adopted. In Ukraine, only 55% of population believes that women and men can and must have equal rights. The younger people are the newer vision of gender steretypes is among them.
Among the most common gender stereotypes there is that a man should be the head of the family anyway. It should be noted that in families of almost half of Ukrainians the function of the head of the family is performed by men. It is important the thesis that the head of the family should be a man is more endorsed by people with low incomes and lower levels of education. But divorced people, on the contrary, tend to perceive a woman as the head of the family. Some employers believe the husband should be the breadwinner of the family and therefore should have benefits when getting a job. About a third of Ukrainian women admit that men have job advantages. This position of women can be explained by the spread of the stereotype of the male breadwinner and by the significant difference in the wages of men and women in the labor market.
At the legislative level the mechanism of protection of subjective rights is predetermined by the nature of family relationships, so its regulation is in the Family Code of Ukraine and other legislative norms [2]. For example, the issue of gender equality is regulated by the Law of Ukraine "On Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men".
Realizing that gender inequality and gender stereotypes are acute and abusive problems that cover different spheres of public life every year, we must counteract these phenomena by looking at the main causes of gender inequality: religion, stereotypes, and gender settings. These concepts are interconnected, they are an integral part of our lives, and they define our worldview.
In Ukraine we need to put into the practice the international standards on gender equality, to implement them at the legislative level. It is necessary to improve mechanisms for ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men. We ought to create conditions for balanced participation of women and men in social and political processes, making socially important decisions. It is important to undertake comprehensive measures to combat gender discrimination, including gender stereotypes and ensure equality of access to justice.
Among the activities in the educational field, we have to take into the consideration, among other things, the inclusion in the curricula the topics on human rights and freedoms, in particular gender equality.
So, sooner or later, Ukraine will follow the path of democracy, the ideas of gender equality will be understood and practically implemented. However, the current status of gender politics, the content and the essence of gender stereotypes, which are widespread among the population, give reason to believe that this will not happen soon. The basis for such conclusions is the state of gender relations in the social, political and legal spheres of Ukrainian society.