CHILDREN RESPONSES TO

GENDER-ROLE
STEREOTYPED
ADVERTISEMENTS
 Young children constitute a
substantial market segment.

 Tremendous Growth in the children
market along with expansion in the
number & type of children’s media
outlet.

 Companies advertising via numerous
children’s television networks.


 Gender Role Perceptions


› One Of The Variables that determine

the effectiveness of different
types of advertising appeals like
adults’ gender stereo types.
STEREOTYPES
¤ The use of stereotype is pervasive.
¤
¤ Fixed general belief, characteristic, etc.
that a lot of people to represent a
particular type of person or thing.
¤
¤ Stereotypes embody one group’s perceptions
of the:
 personality traits,
 predispositions,
 attitudes, and
 behaviors of another group of people.
 COMPONENTS OF GENDER ROLE
STEREOTYPES
 Male Female
stereotype stereotype
– –
 AGENTIC  COMMUNAL

 or  or

 INSTRUMENTAL  EXPRESSIVE

 orientation  orientation


MA › Independen
LE
Posit
 ce
ive › Leadership
Conno › Decisivene
ST
tatio ss
Active
n ›
ER › Strong
EO 
› skillful

TY
Negat ›
›
Aggressive
Dominant
ive
PEConno › Stubborn
S tatio
n
› Self-
centered
MA
LE
Posit

› Empathy
› Nurturance
ive
Conno › Social
ST
tatio grace
› Concern
n
ER for
others
EO  ›
TY
Negat › Weakness
› Indecisiven
ive
PEConno
ess
› Dependence
S tatio
n › Emotional
›
 Influence of
Stereotypes across
AGE GROUPS
 During development process children
typically go through certain stages
of understanding & application of
gender role stereotypes.

› During PRESCHOOL years – MORE
RIGID
›
› During MIDDLE CHILDHOOD – MORE
FLEXIBLE

 Influence of
Stereotypes across
GENDER
 Due to development differences, boys
& girls – of the same age group-
hold somewhat different views of
gender appropriate behavior.

› Girls have been shown to hold more
FLEXIBLE views regarding GENDER
ROLES as compared to boys.
›
› Girls are more ACCEPTING of both
genders’ participation in HOUSE HOLD
tasks.
 PURPOSE
 Examine whether the AGE & GENDER of
PREADOLESCENT CHILDREN influence
their Attitudes towards Advertisement
that incorporate stereotypical male or
female attributes
 Theoretical

Foundation
Children go through various stages in their
cognitive development.

 Children’s understanding of gender is fluid &
development gradually overtime.

 Over time, children develop schemas regarding
gender-appropriate behavior.

 These schemas progress from the simple to
more complex concepts of masculinity &
femininity.
 Theoretical

Foundation
Children’s formative years - parents &
socialization agents present a framework for
gender appropriate behavior, modeling &
reinforcing the desired behavior.

 Children begin to be aware of gender as they
approach one year of age.

 As children mature they are more likely to
imitate same-sex models.

 Parents put more pressure on boys in regard to
gender appropriate behavior.
 The Effects of AGE &
GENDER on
Stereotyping
 Two & a half years of AGE

 B/w the ages of 2 to 4 – Differentiate
on the basis of gender stereo typed
behavior.

 Preschool age children are oriented
towards same gender playmates &
activities.


 The Effects of AGE &
GENDER on Stereotyping
 Differences  Differences
across AGE across
› GENDER
› Early on ( 4 to ›
8 ) – somewhat
rigid in views › Boys hold more
traditional
› gender role
beliefs & have
› Later Ages ( 8 to strong
10 ) – more preferences
flexile & for same
acknowledge a gender
wider range of activities as
gender compared to
appropriate girls .
activities &
occupations . ›
 Gender Stereotypes
& Children ’ s
advertising
 B/w preschool & early adolescence Children
go through different stages of:
Ø cognitive &
Ø social development
Ø
 Young boy’s & girl’s perception of gender
appropriate behavior vary.
 Gender Stereotypes
& Children ’ s

advertising
It is reasonable to hypothesize that:



Children advertisement that
incorporate various gender
role stereotypes might be
perceived differently by
young boys as compared to
young girls . And might be
viewed differently by
preadolescent children of
HYPOTHESES
H1A :
Preadolescent boys will
have a more favorable
attitude for an
advertisement embedded
with agentic attributes
as compared to an
advertisement that embedded
with communal attributes
H1B :

Preadolescent girls will

report a more favorable
attitude for an
advertisement embedded
with communal
attributes , as compared
to an advertisement that
is embedded with agentic
attributes .
H1C :
Preadolescent boys will
report a more favorable
attitude for an
advertisement embedded
with agentic attributes ,
than will preadolescent
girls .
H1D :
Preadolescent girls will
have a more favorable
attitude for an
advertisement embedded
with communal
attributes , than will
preadolescent boys .
H2A :

Preadolescent boys who are

in a younger age group will
exhibit a more favorable
attitude for an
advertisement embedded with
agentic attributes than
will preadolescent boys who
are in an older age group .
H2B :

Preadolescent boys who are

in an older age group will
show a more favorable
attitude for an
advertisement embedded with
communal attributes as
compared to preadolescent
boys who are in an younger
age group .
H2C :

Preadolescent girls who are

in a younger age group will
show a more favorable
attitude for an
advertisement embedded with
communal attributes than
preadolescent boys who are
in an older age group
H2D :

Preadolescent girls who are

in an older age group will
show a more favorable
attitude for an
advertisement embedded with
agentic attributes than
preadolescent boys who are
in an younger age group
METHODOLOGY
 SUBJECTS
 DATA were collected at an ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL located in the Southern U . S .


 Younger adolescent group comprised

of :
› Kindergarten ( 5 - 6 years )
›
 Older preadolescent group was
comprised of :
› 3 rd & 4 th grades ( 9 - 10 years )
›
 SUBJECTS
 280 participants
 Evenly mixed b / w boys &
girls
 Half were in kindergarten &
half in 3 rd or 4 th grade
 68 % were Caucasian
 30 % were African American
 2 % were Asian or Hispanic
 STIMULUS MATERIALS
 TO MANIPULATE THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE
( agentic vs. communal gender role
behaviors), advertising
storyboards were used as stimulus
materials.

 One set of advertising storyboards
conveyed an agentic theme, while the
other set conveyed a communal theme.
 CONCLUSION
 In the case of products that are
designed for both boys & girls – of
various ages- it is certainly more cost
effective to develop a single
advertising that has broad appeal.