The analysis of main institutes of socialization in terms of adolescents’ gender sensitivity is presented in the article. Values of modern teen’s generation are determined by transformation of social institutes, growth of IT technologies and virtual reality. These features of “Z” generation are only slightly touched upon by domestic scholars; so this lack of knowledge helps to formulate main research questions. Three key aspects of gender sensitivity are in the focus of the investigation: how adolescents estimate the significance of each institution in their lives, whether they realize the level of gender marking of these social institutions, and how adolescents refer to the character of transmitted gender norms, traditions and values. In-depth interviews method is the research method used. The study shows that such institutions as the Internet, a family and a school have greater impact on teenagers’ gender sensitivity. Analysis of friends and peers has revealed that gender attributes have significance only for girls; most boys are in “masculine vacuum” — they don’t raise questions about masculinity neither at home nor at school, or anywhere else. However, boys may emphasize their masculinity due to sexual experience. The question of the gender self-expression freedom among peer group associates with gender stratification and depends on the social, gender and sexual sensitivity to social and structural norms. None of the teenagers has noticed any gender issue in music. Analysis of adolescents’ attitude to magazines, TV and cinema has shown that both girls and boys feel gender pressure but they are against reproducing it. The authors strongly believe that virtual socialization changes the mechanisms of gender socialization. The imitation of gender norms and values will be decreased during gender identity construction. The most powerful ways to create the identity will be the development of gender sensitivity, identity experiments, and independent choice of preferences. Girls will be pioneers in this process because they are more resourceful and inventive than boys in their use of the Internet.read in PDF>>>
