Abstract

The article examines the evolution of gender views among Kazakhstani youth in the light of the changing digital media landscape. The study's relevance is determined by changes in the mechanisms of socialization and identity creation that result from the combination of conventional cultural norms and new behavioral models conveyed via digital communication. The study's goal is to investigate the sociocultural mechanisms that underpin the transformation of young people's gender perspectives in the setting of modern Kazakhstani society. The study's theoretical and methodological framework is based on social constructivist and cultural studies methodologies, with additional concepts of gender performativity and symbolic reproduction of social norms. Gender perceptions are viewed as a continually evolving system of norms, values, and behavioral patterns that are transmitted through socialization and altered by the sociocultural environment. The study shows that the digital media environment is becoming an essential area for young people's gender socialization, expanding the spectrum of available models of masculinity and femininity and providing possibilities for comparison with traditional cultural representations. In Kazakhstan, this process is distinguished not by the straightforward replacement of conventional gender models by global patterns, but rather by their interaction, reinterpretation, and adaptation. The study's scholarly uniqueness stems from its conceptualization of gender perception development among Kazakhstani adolescents as a process that occurs at the convergence of national cultural traditions and the global digital media landscape. The study supports the formation of hybrid forms of gender identity, which incorporate parts of conventional cultural standards, new models of social self-realization, and digital self-presentation practices.

Key words: gender perceptions, gender identity, Kazakhstani youth, digital media environment, gender socialization, cultural tradition, digitalization, transformation of gender roles.