Television advertisements and the portrayal of gender

Abstract

The portrayal of men and women in a sample of British television adverts was examined in an extension of the study by Manstead & McCulloch (1981). The central figures in 175 adverts were coded for their sex, mode of presentation, relationship to product, role, argument, product type and product price. The results were similar to those found by Manstead & McCulloch, namely, the portrayal of men and women conformed closely to traditional gender roles. A cluster analysis was performed to determine the main types of character portrayed in adverts. Of the eight types which resulted, five were mainly male and three were mainly female. Expensive products were advertised by the most stereotypic males: the most stereotypic females were silent. The few women presented as product authorities differed from the men not only in number but in role, product type and mode of presentation.