This article continues the theme of the genesis, spread and functioning of social stereotypes in society — schematized, standardized, usually emotionally colored and highly stable representations of a social object. As a rule, stereotypes are perceived uncritically and are often simply accepted “on faith”, therefore, they not only contribute to an incomplete or distorted perception of the surrounding reality, but also have a real impact on mass consciousness and individual behavior.
Among the most common types of stereotypes are racial and ethnic stereotypes that accumulate a set of ideas about the appearance, level of intelligence and character of representatives of different ethnic groups; age stereotypes called “ageism” and standardizing the behavior and capabilities of people depending on age; religious stereotypes that embody a set of ideas about the content of religious doctrines or representatives of different faiths; social ly-class stereotypes that label people according to their level of material wealth or social status. Stereotypes are also rooted in all spheres of social life, in connection with which economic, political, professional, etc. stereotypes are distinguished. In gender stereotypical representations, which are the most common, it is obvious from the beginning that there is a clear distribution of social roles and responsibilities of the sexes, historically dating back to the patriarchal social order, consolidating the superiority of men in all spheres of social life. The history of the evolution of social relations, including gender relations, shows that patriarchal views and stereotypical ideas about femininity and masculinity have slowly but surely followed the path of renewal.
A significant contribution to this process has been made by the feminist movement, which advocates both the increasing social role of women and the right of women to define themselves as an independent person. However, gender stereotypes still persist in the cultural basis of social reality, and manifest themselves in various areas of social life, albeit in a more veiled form. The article examines three main groups of gender stereotypes, according to which markers and patterns of behavior of men and women have been built for a long time. Their genesis, as well as the factors influencing their strengthening in society, are reflected in numerous sociological studies, which are a special subject of analysis in the framework of this article.

This article is devoted to understanding the role of the media and propaganda in modern social and political processes. Having outlined the semantic loads of the term “media”, the author of the article go es on to analyze their essence and role in the social and political life of modern societies. At the same time, the author of the article emphasizes the absurdity of the phrase “fourth power” and points out the inadmissibility of its use in relation to the activities of the media and propaganda and their role in society. In his view, the media and propaganda are not an autonomous subject of social and political processes, but serve as an effective tool in the hands of various subjects of social and political life involved in the processes of forming public opinion, social manipulation and social myth-making.
Also in the article, the author analyzes the ideas of a number of modern researchers about a set of tools, methods and technologies used by the media and propaganda in the processes of social myth-making, manipulative influence, as well as other social and political processes, considering it necessary to strengthen control over their activities in the context of ensuring national security and protecting the systems of spiritual and moral values traditional for Russia and the Russian people.

The modern labor market is undergoing transformation under the influence of accelerated development of digital technologies and the introduction of digital platforms. A digital platform is an information system that brings together various types of actors (representatives of government agencies, commercial and non-commercial organizations, individuals, etc.) and allows them to exchange digital products, services, and information in the digital space. Platform employment is a flexible form of work organization in which interaction between actors takes place through such digital platforms. The most common types of platform employment are online freelancing, delivery, logistics, and education. Modern self-employed workers have partially or completely transferred some of their work functions to digital platforms. It is important to note that not all self-employed people work on digital platforms. Platform employment includes not only the self-employed, but also other categories of workers. The growth of platform self-employment has numerous social consequences, both positive and negative. These include a decline in social protection, worsening working conditions, growing inequality, and a lack of job stability. This article is based on the results of a survey of self-employed people who carry out their professional activities through digital platforms and have had their first experience of analyzing and evaluating their professional experience in the digital ecosystem of self-employment. The main conclusion of the study is that most self-employed people (62.32%) agree with the statement that favorable conditions for professional activity have been created in Russia today. The main social consequences of platform-based self-employment can be summarized as follows. There are more women than men among platform-based self-employed people (70.43% and 29.57%). The average age of self-employed people is 35. The main types of activities for the platform self-employed people surveyed are information services (23.1), household services (12.5), and educational services (11.7). Self-employed people actively use digital platforms and services in their professional activities (52.49%). The main digital services for them are social networks, video hosting, messengers, email, and communication (MTS, Beeline, Megafon, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Telegram, Rutube, Mail.ru, Yandex Mail, etc.) (73.42%). The main advantages of using digital platforms and services compared to traditional ones (without using the Internet) are convenience and 24/7 availability (68.77%), time savings (55.48%), and the ability to work remotely (44.85%). Self-employed people lack the following digital resources: for finding customers and clients (42.75%), educational courses and training on business development (3 5.69%), platforms for drawing up and signing contracts online, and services for promoting goods and services through social networks (20.78% each). At the same time, most self-employed people (64.12%) do not use any social support measures but need the following types of support: financial (subsidies, grants, etc.) (16.94%), rental of workspace (9.97%), assistance in online promotion (8.97%), educational programs, training, tax breaks and deductions (8.64% each).

The article analyzes the digital transformation of healthcare in the context of global population aging, with an emphasis on the challenges and opportunities for older patients. The author examines demographic trends, according to which by 2050 the share of people over 65 will reach 16% of the world’s population, which will create a significant burden on healthcare systems. The article highlights three key categories of problems: medical and demographic, financial and economic, and socio-organizational.
Digitalization of healthcare is presented as one of the tools for solving these problems. Technologies such as telemedicine, AI diagnostics, and wearable devices can improve the availability and quality of healthcare, especially for older patients. However, the author emphasizes the paradox: those who need digital services most (the elderly) often face difficulties in using them due to low digital literacy, age-related health restrictions, and mistrust of new technologies.
Particular attention is paid to the role of doctors, especially the older generation, who themselves have difficulty adapting to digital tools. This creates a “double digital divide” that limits access to modern medical care. The author also discusses the risks of digitalization, including cyberattacks, data leaks, AI algorithm errors, and the loss of the human factor in medicine.
In conclusion, it is noted that the success of digital transformation depends on a comprehensive approach that includes educational programs for the population and health care workers, improving the availability of technology, and maintaining a balance between innovation and traditional medical values. The article emphasizes the need to create inclusive solutions that take into account the needs of elderly patients and doctors, so that digitalization becomes a tool for improving the quality of life, rather than an additional barrier.

The article is devoted to the problem of digital (electronic) democracy in modern Russia as a public policy mechanism and a new socio-political practice caused by the processes of digitalization. It examines the issues related to the possibilities of introducing the newest information and communication technologies into the sphere of political interaction between society and the state and also assesses the prospects for the development and institutionalization of innovative forms of democratic participation of citizens in making political decision.
The authors present the main interpretations of the term “digital (electronic) democracy” that are widespread today in domestic and foreign science. The phenomenon of digital democracy itself appears to be a technological mechanism that ensures the inclusion of digitalization processes in the procedures of free political choice and political activity of citizens. It is noted that the possibilities of digital democracy expand the channels of influence from society on the implementation of the political process at various stages of the political system functioning, contributing to the development of democratic pluralism and the revival of the direct democracy elements.
Among the mechanisms of digital democracy that are currently in effect in Russia the authors point out the horizontal and vertical network communication, the formation of network communities, public online governance, and electronic voting. Particular attention is paid to the practice of remote electronic voting applied in the regional electoral process and in the elections of the President of the Russian Federation in 2024. Based on the analysis of voter turnout, the positive impact of the remote electronic voting on the electoral activity of Russian citizens is substantiated. The current problems of remote electronic voting as an element of digital democracy in modern Russia are the existence of a digital divide in the country and the lack of sufficient confidence of citizens in the anonymity of this procedure. At the same time, the authors share the position that the development of digital democracy in Russia should act as a factor in expanding opportunities for civic activity, and not as a complete alternative to it.

The article presents the results of a study of the relationship between the activity of a young family with children and the functionality of the living environment. Within the framework of the systemic, systemic-activity and activity-functional approaches, the author examines the system of “living environment and young family”, with the young family being an active element of this system. The study is based on the materials of an expert survey and interviews with representatives of young families. Based on the results of the expert survey, objective characteristics were identified that allow identifying the territory of the living environment as functional or dysfunctional for the life of the family. A survey of representatives of young families living in functional and dysfunctional environments allowed us to identify the types of activity of a young family, the significance of certain types and specific problems that parents face in these living environments. A relationship between the functionality of the environment and the activity of a young family was identified. In a functional living environment, this activity is more diverse and, in addition to implementing basic functions, creates opportunities for implementing social and existential functions of the family. In a dysfunctional environment, the activity of a young family is focused on life-saving, including normalization and adaptation. Self-organization of activity is presented in both environments, but has different sources and directions. In any case, self-organization is a manifestation of the subjectivity of residents and a way of transforming the environment. As a result of the study, the idea of the activity of a young family with children in relation to the objective characteristics of the territories of residential environments was specified. Empirically generalized types of activity create the basis for their further typology. Of practical importance is the conclusion about the equifinality of creating a functional residential environment, when the same task (safety, developed infrastructure or comfortable living) can be solved by different technical and organizational methods. The main thing is that the meaning of creating a residential environment is its human-oriented nature.

The article carries out a historical and sociological analysis of Russian urban sociological researches of the pre-revolutionary period proposing approaches to improving the quality of citizens’ life. The interest in the issues of urban environment improvement discussed by sociologists today arose at the turn of the 19th — 20th centuries as a reaction to the social problems faced by big cities of that time, including Russian cities, due to the social inequality which worsened as a result of rapid and uncontrolled urbanization. It is emphasized that a significant contribution to the sociological study of the social contradictions of urban life and the search for possible ways to eliminate them is made by Russian social thinkers sharing the idea that urbanization should not be spontaneous, but a controlled social process in the late 19th — early 20th centuries.
Sociological researches by Russian social scientists seeking solutions of the social problems peculiar to big cities, are grouped around two sociological conceptions - the garden city and municipal socialism. The article defines the theoretical origins of these conceptual constructions and carries out a comparative analysis of these conceptions, thanks to what the huge heuristic potential of scientific developments created within the framework of Russian urban sociology in the pre-revolutionary period is revealed.
The author demonstrates that the social problems of big cities, as well as the principles of their solution, analyzed by Russian social scientists at the turn of the 19th — 20th centuries, are highlighted by modern sociologists examining urban life. The article concludes that Russian urban sociological studies conducted in the Russian Empire are a valuable heritage for contemporary Russian and Western sociology and are an important theoretical and methodological basis for sociological researches of city and urbanization in the 21st century.

The present study conceptualises institutionalised elite circulation and multidimensional structural tension as mutually complementary endogenous parameters of macro-social dynamics. Employing a dynamic-systemic framework that fuses structural equation modelling with longitudinal network analysis, the authors reconstruct the coevolutionary continuum of the economic, politico-cultural, and administrative sub-systems of the People’s Republic of China over the period 1978–2025. It is established that elite rotation, progressing through the cycle “risk accumulation – negotiated adaptation – systemic re-balancing”, dissipates tension and initiates non-linear transformations. Sub-samples from the Chinese Social Survey and official statistical series indicate that: 1) institutionalised elite circulation endogenously lowers the level of structural tension; 2) a dual mode of concerted governance statistically reduces the probability of macrosystemic instability during peak-tension intervals; and 3) the dynamic–systemic model surpasses linear counterparts in accounting for path dependence and detecting critical switches. Consequently, the institutionalist comprehension of elite studies is deepened, and empirically grounded benchmarks of macro-regulation are articulated for Global South states operatin g under the conditions of a “risk society”.

The Nationwide Unified Examination for Admissions to General Universities and Colleges in China, or Gaokao (NECC), is the world’s largest standardized examination, the basis of China’s educational selection system, and an important mechanism for social class mobility in China. It is also an important mechanism for social mobility in China. While achieving formal equity, the Gaokao system has always faced deep-seated institutional contradictions such as unequal distribution of educational resources and opportunities. In this paper, we use literature and data analysis and case analysis to analyze educational equity and inequality of opportunity in the Gaokao system based on the operational mechanism of the Gaokao in China, the design logic of the Gaokao policy, and the history of its change; we explore the role and limitations of the Gaokao system in educational equity and its impact on social mobility; and we reflect on and reveal the challenges that the Gaokao system will face in the future, so as to provide a basis for the construction of a more equitable and theoretical education system. It also reflects on and reveals the challenges it faces in the future in order to provide theoretical and practical references for the construction of a more equitable and reasonable education system.