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Gender Role Portrayals in Japanese Advertising: A Magazine Content Analysis

DOI:10.1080/00913367.1998.10673546
Authors:
John B. Ford at Old Dominion University
John B. Ford
Patricia Kramer Voli
Patricia Kramer Voli
Patricia Kramer Voli
  • This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.
Earl D. Honeycutt at Elon University
Earl D. Honeycutt
Susan L. Casey
Susan L. Casey
Susan L. Casey
  • This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.
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The authors report a content analysis that assessed gender role portrayals in advertisements from highest circulation Japanese magazines. They found that, although some indigenous gender stereotyping was evident, several traits previously associated with Japanese women (devoted, obliging, rattle-brained, superstitious, thorough) were associated with men. Also, men were not linked with certain stereotypical male traits (autocratic, blustery, forgiving, generous, severe). Other findings included women being shown in a positive way as often as men. In terms of common international stereotypes, women were not associated with low priced products or portrayed as being more deferential than men. However, women still were portrayed as more concerned with appearance and as younger than men, were not depicted as product authorities, and were shown more often in sexist than in nonsexist depictions.
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... For some years, the studies regarding attitude towards the role portrayal of women in advertisements are being given special attention (DeYoung & Crane, 1992;Dominick & Rauch, 1972;Ford, Voli, Honeycutt Jr, & Casey, 1998;Lin, 2008;Lundstrom & Sciglimpaglia, 1977;Lysonski, 1983;Royo-Vela, Aldás-Manzano, Küster-Boluda, & Vila-Lopez, 2007;Soley & Kurzbard, 1986;Wolin, 2003). ...
... The study of Ford and LaTour (1993) also confirmed the findings. In order to check whether the depiction of women in advertisements by the advertisers is genuine and exact, content analysis of the advertisements is done by lots of researchers over the past few decades (Courtney & Lockeretz, 1971;Ford et al. 1998;Royo-Vela et al., 2007;Sexton & Haberman, 1974;Wagner & Banos, 1973). Female stereotyping regarding their role in advertising remained in the society for later years (LaTour, Pitts, & Snook-Luther, 1990;Loudon & Delia Bitta, 1988;Roberts & Koggan, 1975;Royo-Vela et al., 2007;Soley & Reid, 1988). ...
... Female stereotyping regarding their role in advertising remained in the society for later years (LaTour, Pitts, & Snook-Luther, 1990;Loudon & Delia Bitta, 1988;Roberts & Koggan, 1975;Royo-Vela et al., 2007;Soley & Reid, 1988). Ford et al. (1998) found in their Japanese study that women were stereotypically portrayed in ads as being more related with physical attractiveness than men, as being younger than men, and as product users and presenters more often than men, and less frequently portrayed as product authorities than men. They also found women in decorative and in home settings rather than in occupational and sporting settings. ...
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