Subtle Sex-Role Cues in Children's Commercials

Abstract

z x f m t ptuduction technigues for boy' and girb' ode mate f o d patterns that m D e y implicit meaning8 of masculinity and femininity.Sex stereotyping in the content of both television programs and commercials aimed at children and adults has been demonstrated repeatedly. Males outnumber females in programs and in commercials, particularly those directed at children (1, 2, 6, 7). There is an even greater imbalance when the experts or spokespersons for a product are examined. Whether on-camera or off-camera in the form of a voice-over, spokespersons are usually male. Television also provides stereotyped portrayals of the behavior and products used by males and females. in advertisements, women are usually shown using cosmetic or household products and girls play with dolls and miniature domestic implements. In children's programs, females are deferent and do little. Boys play with vehicles, competitive games, and war games, and men are associated with cars, sports, and the like. Males are more aggressive, dominant, and independent (6, 7).

Gender Stereotypes in Advertising on Children's Television in the 1990s: A Cross-National Analysis

“…When characters have been shown in occupational roles, men generally work outside the home, and women are in domestic roles such as parent, spouse, or homemaker (McArthur and Eisen 1976). Commercial style and format have tended to promote stereotypes of women and girls as softer, weaker, and more passive by means of a less active pace, more fades and resolves, and softer background music (Welch et at 1979). In addition, boys and girls typically manifest different personal and social characteristics, with boys being more autonomous, aggressive, and inventive (Sternglanz and Serbin 1974).…”

Gendered voices in children's television advertising

“…These more subtle codes were examined by Welch, Huston-Stein, Wright, and Plehal (1979) who focused on the level of action or activity, pace, visual and camera techniques, and auditory techniques in a sample of toy commercials directed at three target audiences: boys, girls, and both boys and girls. Among their findings were more variability in the form of changes from scene to scene and more camera cuts in the boy-oriented commercials compared to the other two target groups.…”

The Effects of Commercials on Children?s Perceptions of Gender Appropriate Toy Use

“…For example, Smith (1994) observed that girls engaged in shopping, whereas boys did not, and that only boys performed antisocial behaviors, such as stealing or fighting. Aggressive behavior seems to be more visible in commercials that feature boys than in those that feature girls (Larson, 2001;Macklin & Kolbe, 1984;Welch, Huston-Stein, Wright, & Plehal, 1979). Early research indicated that boys' commercials were more likely to contain highly active toys, higher rates of cuts, more rough cuts, less talking, and louder noise and music than girls' commercials, which had more fades and dissolves, smoother transitions, a great deal of talking, and softer background music (Welch et al, 1979).…”

“…Aggressive behavior seems to be more visible in commercials that feature boys than in those that feature girls (Larson, 2001;Macklin & Kolbe, 1984;Welch, Huston-Stein, Wright, & Plehal, 1979). Early research indicated that boys' commercials were more likely to contain highly active toys, higher rates of cuts, more rough cuts, less talking, and louder noise and music than girls' commercials, which had more fades and dissolves, smoother transitions, a great deal of talking, and softer background music (Welch et al, 1979). Research in the 1990s suggested that voice-overs were used to match the orientation of the target for the toy such that boy-oriented commercials featured a male voiceover and girloriented commercials featured a female voiceover (Johnson & Young, 2002;Smith, 1994).…”