The article covers the study of ideas about gender roles in the context of the problem of gender inequality in European countries based on the data of the international sociological project European Values Study. Despite the changes that have taken place in the world over the past half century in the main areas of society, inequality between men and women is still part of global social inequality and remains an important problem of the modern world. Achieving gender equality in the modern world is recognised as a global priority. The purpose of the article was to compare the ideas of men and women about gender roles in Russia and Europe and to identify the factors influencing these ideas. The paper examines the relationship between respondents' perceptions of gender roles and gender inequality from the point of view of the gender-role approach, highlights the relationship between these perceptions and the level of gender inequality in various European countries, clarifies the factors influencing the level of patriarchy/egalitarianness of respondents' perceptions of gender roles. The results of the main international studies of gender inequality are also systematised, the results of the main modern sociological studies of ideas about gender roles are described. The author focuses on the sociological study of the problem, as well as on the quantitative analysis of data. The study shows that in most European countries the level of gender inequality coincides with the level of patriarchal ideas about gender roles. Women in general have more egalitarian ideas about gender roles than men. Higher education, paid work, high levels of qualifications and income increase the likelihood of egalitarian perceptions of gender roles. A high level of churchgoing, the presence of children and a registered marriage increase the likelihood of patriarchal ideas about gender roles.

gender, gender equality, gender roles, gender role approach, egalitarian views, patriarchal views, men, women, EVS, cross-country comparison

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