Gender Role Portrayal in Indian Advertisement: A Review

Abstract

AbstractGender role portrayal in a communication design area of advertisements plays a vital role in shaping our behaviour to emulate or react against. In India, men and women are witnessing gender discrimination for generations, affecting the lives of both genders. This review paper focuses on past studies of gender role portrayal in Indian advertisement to comprehend the contemporary situation of gender representation. Around thirty articles have been analyzed between the years 2000 and 2020. The article and conference papers that are published in the English language have been considered for the undertaken study. Based upon the study, the magazine print advertisement shows that gender stereotype still exists in Indian advertisements. The findings of the study reveal that stereotype portrayal of gender is used in different product categories. Moreover, sexism and degrading portrayal of women are used to sell product in Indian advertisement. Some researchers also observed a slight improvement in women representation in Indian advertisements. Based upon this study, a few gap areas are identified in the study of gender role portrayal in Indian advertisements. The study also provides a platform to fill those lacunas for future researchers.KeywordsGender-role portrayalStereotypesIndian advertisementsHuman factorCognative ergonomics