Men and their perception of gender stereotypes used in print advertisements
(2015) BUSN39 20151Department of Business Administration
- Abstract
- This thesis deals with the question of how men perceive the usage of gender stereotypes in print advertisements. After reviewing existing literature in the field of gender stereotypes and their utilization in advertisements, a research gap has been identified in two areas: male gender stereotypes and perception of advertisements. Hence, this thesis combines these two aspects in an attempt to contribute to filling the aforementioned gap. The empirical data for this study was gathered through fourteen semi-structured in-depth interviews with male customers of apparel who have German citizenship. The outcome was coded manually.
The findings of this study revealed that the participating men reacted more positively towards traditional... (More) - This thesis deals with the question of how men perceive the usage of gender stereotypes in print advertisements. After reviewing existing literature in the field of gender stereotypes and their utilization in advertisements, a research gap has been identified in two areas: male gender stereotypes and perception of advertisements. Hence, this thesis combines these two aspects in an attempt to contribute to filling the aforementioned gap. The empirical data for this study was gathered through fourteen semi-structured in-depth interviews with male customers of apparel who have German citizenship. The outcome was coded manually.
The findings of this study revealed that the participating men reacted more positively towards traditional stereotypes of men and women. Any depictions that did not show men as muscular, powerful or strong were considered unmanly and evaluated more negatively. In addition, it was found that while women tend to struggle with discriminating depictions, the interviewed men stated they do not feel restricted when being put into a category.
In conclusion, the outcome of this study implies that traditional stereotypes and classic gender roles are still deeply anchored in the participants’ minds. It is argued that as long as advertisers reproduce these traditional images in advertisements, the mindset of men will not change. This, in turn, can make a change in people’s mindsets and a move towards a more equal society difficult.
This study is limited to a small sample of apparel customers and is therefore not generalisable. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/7369750
- author
- Freisleben, Christina LU and Hesse, Nora LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- Male perceptions of gender stereotypes in advertising
- course
- BUSN39 20151
- year
- 2015
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- gender stereotypes, traditional stereotypes, masculinity, femininity, advertising, perceptions
- language
- English
- id
- 7369750
- date added to LUP
- 2015-06-22 12:58:59
- date last changed
- 2015-06-22 12:58:59
@misc{7369750,
abstract = {{This thesis deals with the question of how men perceive the usage of gender stereotypes in print advertisements. After reviewing existing literature in the field of gender stereotypes and their utilization in advertisements, a research gap has been identified in two areas: male gender stereotypes and perception of advertisements. Hence, this thesis combines these two aspects in an attempt to contribute to filling the aforementioned gap. The empirical data for this study was gathered through fourteen semi-structured in-depth interviews with male customers of apparel who have German citizenship. The outcome was coded manually.
The findings of this study revealed that the participating men reacted more positively towards traditional stereotypes of men and women. Any depictions that did not show men as muscular, powerful or strong were considered unmanly and evaluated more negatively. In addition, it was found that while women tend to struggle with discriminating depictions, the interviewed men stated they do not feel restricted when being put into a category.
In conclusion, the outcome of this study implies that traditional stereotypes and classic gender roles are still deeply anchored in the participants’ minds. It is argued that as long as advertisers reproduce these traditional images in advertisements, the mindset of men will not change. This, in turn, can make a change in people’s mindsets and a move towards a more equal society difficult.
This study is limited to a small sample of apparel customers and is therefore not generalisable.}},
author = {{Freisleben, Christina and Hesse, Nora}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Men and their perception of gender stereotypes used in print advertisements}},
year = {{2015}},
}