Gender Differences in Advertising to Children – Content Analysis of Television Advertising

My research throws light on the representation of gender and stereotyping of their roles in advertising. A significant amount of research has been conducted regarding the ways in which children acquire gender appropriate behaviour(as we call it), and this research particularly considers the possible chance of influence of television advertising upon a child's perception and subsequent re-enactment of gender roleplay. In the context of social learning theories, I have discussed the possible influences upon gender-roles of children in terms of family and peers as well as the media.Television teaches children a great deal about sex-typed behaviours, simply because it brings an abundance of readily observable models into the child's own home. The characters seen on television are attractive modelsthat children would like to emulate because they are often physically beautiful/ handsome and command impressive influence over their environments.This study has been undertaken to understand how girls and boys are portrayed in Indian advertising and does it have any relationship with our perception of gender roles. *Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, University Of Delhi.