The portrayal of women in South African television commercials

Abstract

Much research has been conducted on the portrayals of men andwomen in advertising. Advertisers are often criticised for portrayingstereotypical gender roles, and particularly for depicting womenas dependant (such as a homemaker) or decorative (such as a sexobject). The purpose of the study on which the article is basedwas to identify current role portrayals of women in advertisingon selected South African television channels. A sample of 245commercials was content analysed to determine how women areportrayed in advertising. The findings indicate that women are mostoften portrayed as product users, and least often as sex objects.In terms of product categories, women featured most often inadvertising for personal care items and least often in sport-relatedcommercials. Rational advertising appeals were most commonlyused in commercials featuring women. Suggestions for futureresearch are offered