Download Key research: Johnson and Young (2009) Gendered

Key research: Johnson and Young (2009)
Gendered voices in children’s advertising
Aim
• To investigate what themes and styles contribute to what children learn
about gender from television commercials.
Research questions
• Do advertisers use different scripts for males and females in adverts
designed for preschool and early primary school children?
• How is gender used as a code to link products to gender roles?
Sample
•
•
•
•
•
478 advertisements broadcast during cartoons in New England, USA.
They were recorded from 1996, 1997 and 1999.
149 ads in 1996
133 in 1997
196 in 1999
•
Advertisements were classified into:
– Toys (the main focus) 188 specific toy ads were used
– Food
– Educational announcements (e.g. anti-drug ads)
– Recreational facilities (e.g. leisure centres)
– Video and film productions
– Other (adult targeted ads, e.g. cars)
Procedure
•
Adverts were categorised into four categories:
•
Boys’ toys in which boys were shown
•
Girls’ toys in which girls were shown
•
Ads with both genders
•
No specific gender targeted.
•
There were exceptions to this: if a gender neutral toy (e.g. frisbee) only had boys in
the ad it was counted as a single gender ad.
If there was one ‘token’ person of the opposite gender (e.g. one girl in a group of
boys) it was counted as a single gender ad.
If an opposite sex gender only appeared very briefly (e.g. a girl appeared for 3
seconds in a super soaker ad) it was classified as a single gender ad.
•
•
Findings
•
•
•
•
•
The names of the toys in the ad reinforced gender stereotypes (e.g. boys’ toys were
names like ‘Beast Wars Transformers and Supersonic Power Crash Pit Racers’, while
girls’ toys were called ‘Friend Link and Tea Bunnies’.
Even with similar toys like ‘dolls’, girls’ toys shown (e.g. Barbies) were portrayed with
far less action than boys toys (e.g. action figures).
Voiceovers also differed according to gender. In both boys’ and gender neutral toys
a male voice was used. In girls’ toys a female voice was used 89% of the time but
these could have male voices with them.
Girls’ voices were sometimes exaggerated to sound high-pitched or sing-song while
male voices sounded loud, deep and aggressive. The exaggerated voices were heard
in 87% of ads for girls and 80% of ads for boys.
The concern is that the exaggeration is not noticed by young children and they
could learn that this is how genders are ‘meant’ to talk.
Language used
•
•
The speech used in the advertisements was analysed into five types:
1.
Action verbs – e.g. ride, jump, crawl
2.
Competition/ destruction – e.g. crush, slam, fire, win
3.
Control – e.g. rule, defeat, control
4.
Limited activity – e.g. beware, look, wait, careful
5.
Feeling and nurturing – e.g. love, cuddle, take care
The table below reveals how often these words appeared in each gender of ad:
Verb type
Appearances in boy advertisements
Appearances in girl advertisements
Action
68
51
Competition/ destruction
113
9
Control
103
24
Limited activity
151
268
Feeling and nurturing
0
66
What conclusions can you draw from this table?
Speaking roles of boys and girls
•
•
•
•
•
One stereotype of gender is that girls are talkers and boys are doers. Will the
advertisements reflect this?
78 ads had children speaking. In the boys’ ads, 26% of the boys were actually
speaking.
In the girls’ and gender neutral ads there was over 50% of speech.
In the gender neutral ads, the boys did speak more than the girls and were shown
to say more independent things, while the girls affirmed (agreed with) what the
boys were saying.
The use of the word ‘power’ (often associated with masculinity) was used in 21%
of boys’ ads with phrases like ‘get the power’, ‘power pack’ and even the names of
products ‘power rangers’. Only a single advertisement in the girls’ ads used the
word power and this was a product (‘Barbie’s car’ or ‘Power wheels’).
Implications
• It is clear that advertisements are promoting difference between genders
through use of stereotypes.
• This occurs through use of language, speech and behaviour that is seen on
screen.
• The negative implication of this is that children will adopt these
stereotypes as truth and then encourage the wider culture to continue an
inequality of gender roles.
Why promote gender inequality?
•
Johnson and Young identify three reasons why toy companies would want to
continue stereotypes:
1. Previously marketing toys in this way has been successful and it makes
business sense to stick to what works.
2. Marketing different toys to boys and girls ensures that parents have to buy
separate toys for their sons and daughters which means more profit is
made.
3. Teaching children about gender stereotypes when young will mean they
will continue to buy gender-biased products into adult life.
•
Based on toys you played with or toys you see today, do you agree with what
Johnson and Young say?