Gender and lifestyles in the university field: an analysis of the cultural practices and preferences of the Unicamp students

Abstract

Aligned with studies on lifestyles and cultural distinction, in this text I analyze variations in cultural practices and tastes among women and men within the student population of the State University of Campinas. To do so, I use data from a survey on social stratification and lifestyles among the student population, carried out by applying questionnaires (sample of 548 students) and conducting in-depth interviews (22 students from different social backgrounds). Analyzing with a gender perspective data from three cultural domains (uses of time, musical preferences and literary preferences), I show that women present a pattern of practices and tastes that are homologous between the different domains, marked by the variety of practices, interests and tastes, while men have a lifestyle marked by a lower load of activities and aesthetic homogeneity. To explain these patterns, I offer three hypotheses based on the literature on cultural practices and gender inequalities. The first is that there is a gender bias in the accumulation of cultural capital, imposing greater work on women students so that they can reach the same positions as men. The second is that it is a cultural omnivorism oriented towards building a sense of belonging and accumulating social capital. The third is that there is a greater openness to the re-signification of female identity from the mobilization of diverse lifestyles in comparison with a more homogeneous lifestyle that marks the male identity.