ACMJ Article

Abstract

Despite the increasing embrace of gender role symmetry in modern societies, advertising is replete with gender stereotypes portraying men and women according to traditional expectations about masculinity and femininity, with profound implications for individuals. Using a mixed-methods research design and drawing on Social Constructionism and Cultivation theory, this study examines gender stereotypes by problematising their uses, types, accuracy, representativeness, tenacity, and implications for the portrayal of gender roles in advertising. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 64 television commercials for content analysis, which generated quantitative data. To obtain qualitative data, five key informants were interviewed, and three focus groups featuring 24 participants were used. Findings of the study reveal the stereotypicality and binarity of gender role portrayals in advertising, perpetuating traditional gender roles and stereotypes that are potentially harmful to individuals in society. These typical portrayals also reinforce gender discrimination and the patriarchal hegemony of men as the superior, dominant gender. Results also suggest that there is often a mismatch between gender stereotypes portrayed in commercials and gender roles in people’s real lives, underscoring the imperative for advertisers to align their portrayals of gender roles with people’s experiential gender roles in life. The study further reveals that socio-cultural factors, media reinforcements and marketing considerations are among the overarching reasons why gender stereotypes seem irresistible and persist in advertising, notwithstanding their inbuilt negativities. To improve gender role portrayals, advertisers are urged to eschew traditional gender roles, combat gender stereotyping, and showcase men in nurturing, childcare, and domestic roles, and women in leadership and breadwinning roles.

UNDERSTANDING GENDER STEREOTYPES AND THEIR TENACITY: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PORTRAYAL OF GENDER ROLES IN ADVERTISING, 2025, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 18-27. PDF