preview

Gender Stereotypes Of Men And Women In Advertising

Better Essays

Introduction: Advertising & Gender

The adverts are carefully crafted bundles of images, frequently designed to associate the product with feelings of pleasure stemming from fantasies and anxieties (Craig 1997). Advertising can also be defined as a paid for mass-media communication, and a means of managing and controlling the consumer markets at the least cost (Brierley 1995). It is clear that advertisers seem quite willing to manipulate these fantasies and exploit our gender identities to sell products.

Gender is a social construct, a dichotomy that exists in all societies (Costa, 1994). It is used to describe the socially constructed differences between men and women, referring not only to individual identity and personality, but …show more content…

Perhaps this is due to the fact that the products advertised are aimed at target male and target female audiences, thus resulting in a higher level of specificity in gender-portrayed roles.

Gender Targeting
Research conducted in the 1970’s laid out the basic aspects of the advertising portrayals of both men and women. According to Craig (1997), overall, men were portrayed as more autonomous than women, with men portrayed in many different occupations as compared to women being shown as housewives and mothers. Men were far more likely to advertise alcohol, vehicles, or business products while women were found mostly in advertisements for domestic products. Men were far more likely to be shown outdoors or in business settings while women were shown primarily in domestic settings.

Recent studies suggest some changes such as significant declines in portrayals of men’s traditional roles such as husband, father and athlete. For example, a qualitative analysis of 40 beer adverts found a very strong relationship between drinking and stereotypical view of masculinity (Craig, 1997). In contrast, women are viewed as a mere audience for male activities. Men who are sensitive, thoughtful, gay or complex are not present in beer advertisements. While the gender stereotyping had decreased slightly, men still are more likely to be depicted in

Get Access