Abstract: aim. The purpose of the article is to determine the role of the father in the process of forming the gender characteristics of men.
Procedure and methods. The article describes the change in the social role of the father in the family from authoritarian to partner. To analyze the gender characteristics of men who grew up without a father, we used the gender role questionnaire of S. Bem, which allows identifying the gender identity of a man. The study involved men who grew up in a full family with their own father, without a father, and grew up with a stepfather.
Results. The study revealed that the absence of a father affects the formation of a masculine behavior model of a boy, while its presence to a greater extent forms the androgyny of a man.
Practical significance. The results of the study allow correcting the educational model of a modern family, where a boy is brought up without a father or stepfather.
Keywords: gender, man, father, family, masculine, feminist, androgynous