Gender Representation in Commercials as a Function of Target Audience Age

Abstract

The present study examined gender stereotyping in commercials targeting preschool, school-aged, adolescent, and adult viewers. Commercials were coded for gender representation, including the presence of males/females, whether characters were product authorities or product users, and emphasis on beauty. Overall results indicated that the nature of gender representation varies with the age of the target audience. Commercials targeting school-aged children were the most disproportionate in representation, with significantly more males than females. However, commercials targeting adolescents had the greatest emphasis on physical appearance.