Some of the pressing questions facing society today revolve around the role and position of women in society. What is her social position in the advanced, modern information and knowledge-based society of today? How does it affect her relationships at work and at home, how does she even combine work and home life and how does she impact decision-making at different levels in society? These are some of these pertinent questions. Perhaps the most pertinent question of all is how do mass media portray the social roles of men and women and how does this portrayal influence the social status of women? Gender studies in Russia is now gaining ground as changes in gender perception and roles become more pronounced and happen more rapidly. An important aspect of this study concerns consumer behaviour. Women have now gained greatly in purchasing power, and therefore their influence on the economic is great. Nevertheless, the motivation to purchase among men and women may arise from different sources. This study looks at gender roles from this point of view in order to understand how goods and services can be targetted at different consumer bases.