GENDER STEREOTYPES IN THE POLITICAL SPHERE OF MODERN SOCIETY
The article studies gender stereotypes in political discourse. Traditionally, politics is generally perceived as a sphere of male activities, however women often play a key role in decision-making. Social perceptions of male and female politicians relate to their behavior in society. They differ in their psychological and social qualities: a man is associated with an active and socially-creative element, while a woman is perceived as a carrier of passive power. In society and culture, these gender stereotypes, reflecting generalized judgments about the qualities and properties inherent in men and women, are taken for granted despite the fact that the above mentioned features are not characteristics of gender but constitute individual features of each person. Women politicians are subject to certain behavioral norms and rules that differ significantly from the requirements for male politicians. Public consciousness mirrors these attitudes, forming stereotypes, which play an influential role in our characterization of men and women according to this or that feature. Stereotypes are treated as special forms of assessment and knowledge, since people's perceptions of the world are formed under the influence of the sociocultural environment in which they live.