Dutch children's judgments of gender stereotypical pictures in advertisements

Abstract

Judged by the high level of gender stereotyping in advertising directed at children, advertising professionals apparently assume that this type of portrayal is appealing for them. This paper investigates the extent to which this assumption is correct. The study focused on ninety-six children in the age of 8 to 12 years in The Netherlands and on portrayals of characters in advertising pictures. Children judged a series of gender stereotypical and nonstereotypical photographs, in which adults or children advertised specific products. Children individually indicated which picture of a pair they considered as (a) most similar to reality, (b) most realistic as an advertisement, and (c) most likeable. Overall, children liked the stereotypical pictures better, and evaluated them as more similar to reality, and more like real advertisements. One type of pictures contradicted this general conclusion: the pictures that depicted girls in a tough pose (nonstereotypical) were liked better and were seen as more realistic advertisements than pictures where girls adopted a sweet pose (stereotypical).