Gender Representation of Women in the Lezgi Folk Proverbs and Sayings

Abstract

The article deals with the question of the abstract understanding of the cultural representation of women in Lezgin folklore. Attention is paid to the ideas concerning gender stereotypes that differ in various ethnic cultures, in connection with which the need to consider the sociocultural aspect for the display of the gender factor in Lezgin proverbs and sayings is revealed. The question is raised about the specific features, according to which the image of a woman, presented in Lezgin paremias, mainly represents negatively connotated gender stereotypes. It is noted that the influence of the “other” class ideology is manifested inconsistently and sometimes selectively because in Lezgin folklore, along with proverbs with a negative image of women, directly opposite texts with a positive image coexisted. In the article, special attention is paid to aphorisms in which a negative image of a woman and features of the manifestation of gender stereotypes in Lezgin culture emerge. The novelty of the study is seen in the fact that this position has practically not been considered before and has not been studied on the basis of the Lezgin paremias. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that the study of folk paremias with the identification features of the female image on specific factual material and the establishment of development paths and the reasons for the existence of this thematic group is currently the subject of increased attention among folklorists, linguists, culturologists, etc. The author dwells on the identification of the socio-cultural aspect of the standard and distinctive indicators of the female image. It is demonstrated that in order to display gender stereotypes, one should take into account the national identity of the people and also determine the place and role of women in the structure of family, family relationships and in society.