Meanings in self-regulation of young people’s life: gender differences in the labor sphere

In the self-regulation of the life activity of gender groups in the sphere of labor, the general and the particular trends are noted. A significant factor of similarity is connected with the universal structure of the cultural space of young people — women and men. But the differences are determined by the severity of it’s components. The typology of the cultural space in gender groups is most reflected in the formation of life-meaning values. The influence of these meanings is manifested in the value of labor and attitudes towards labor. In both groups there is a most significant connection between the terminal value of labor with the value of justice. Among young men it is reinforced by such the life-meaning values as the struggle for justice and self-realization. Among young women it is linked to the desire for truth. Difficulties of the economic and social adaptation are equally expressed in the instrumentalization of the labor among the both gender groups. The image of work among young women is dominated by conscientious attitude to work, responsibility, mutual assistance; among young men — by feelings of freedom, independence and individualism. The change in the value foundations of self-regulation of the life activity of gender groups is in the direction of reducing the importance of traditional foundations. It is especially true for women. The difference in perception of labor is that young males see labor mostly as a source of support for themselves and the family, which goes back to the basic, archetypal ideas about the social role of the “breadwinner”. In the female gender group structure of meanings work is perceived as the source of personal well-being and self-realization. On the basis of the changing configuration of cultural meanings perception of labor is appearing and the choice of self-regulatory strategies takes place among different gender groups.