Abstract
Television has attracted considerable attention in recent years because of alleged bias in its sex-role content. Studies of television in Great Britain and the United States have generally fuelled concerns that the medium presents male and female characters in traditionally stereotyped ways. Comparatively little research has focused on the way men and women are depicted in other nations' television. Such analyses contribute towards a more comprehensive account of sex role stereotyping and to cross cultural investigation. The present study examined the portrayal of male and female characters in a sample of contemporary Australian television advertisements. A sample of evening commercials was analyzed using measures developed in North American and British work. Strong evidence of differences in the presentation of male and female characters was obtained, and the differences were consistent with those reported in studies of television content in the northern hemisphere. There is little reason to suppose that this area of Australian media is changing substantially in response to public debate. The implications of possible differences between nations in terms of sex role stereotyping in commercials are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bretl, D. J. & Cantor, J. (1988). The portrayal of men and women in U.S. television commercials: A recent content analysis and trends over 15 years. Sex Roles, 18, 595–609.
Brewer, A., Cunningham, J. D. & Owne, J. (1982). Self-esteem, sex roles and domestic labour in single-career and dual-career couples. Australian Journal of Sex, Marriage and Family, 3, 77–86.
Bryson, L. (1983). Thirty years of research on the division of labour in Australian families. Australian Journal of Sex, Marriage and Family, 4, 125–132.
Butler, M., & Paisley, W. (1980). Women and the mass media: sourcebook for research and action. New York: Human Sciences Press.
Davis, D. M. (1990). Portrayals of women in prime-time network television: some demographic characteristics. Sex Roles, 23, 325–332.
Dowling, G. R. (1980). Female role portrayal: an exploratory analysis of Australian television advertising. Media Information Australia, 17, 3–7.
Durkin, K. (1984). Children's accounts of sex-role stereotypes in television. Communication Research, 11, 341–362.
Durkin, K. (1985a). Television and sex-role acquisition: I. Content. British Journal of Social Psychology, 24, 101–113.
Durkin, K. (1985b). Television and sex role acquisition: 2. Effects. British Journal of Social Psychology, 24, 191–210.
Durkin, K. (1985c). Television, sex roles and children: a developmental social psychological account. Milton Keynes Philadelphia: Open University Press.
Durkin, K. (1985d). Sex roles and television roles: Can a woman be seen to tell the weather as well as a man? International Review of Applied Psychology, 34, 191–201.
Durkin, K. (1986). Sex roles and the mass media. In D. J. Hargreaves & A. M. Colley (Eds.) The psychology of sex roles London: Harper & Row.
Durkin, K. (1987). Social cognition and social context in the construction of sex differences. In M. A. Baker (ed.). Sex differences in human performance. Chichester: Wiley.
Edgar, G. (1976). Discussion comments. In G. Major (ed.). Mass media in Australia. Sydney: Hodder & Stoughton, pp. 103–133.
Edgar, P., & McPhee, H. (1974). Media She. Melbourne: Heinemann.
Furnham, A., & Schofield, S. (1986). Sex-role stereotyping in British radio advertisements. British Journal of Social Psychology, 25, 165–171.
Gilly, M. C. (1988). Sex roles in advertising: A comparison of television advertisements in Australia, Mexico, and the United States. Journal of Marketing, 52, 75–85.
Harris, P. R., & Stobart, J. (1986). Sex-role stereotyping in British television advertisements at different times of the day: An extension and refinement of Manstead & McCulloch (1981). British Journal of Social Psychology, 25, 155–164.
Jennings, J., Geis, F. L., & Brown, V. (1980). Influence of television commercials on women's self-confidence and independent judgement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 38, 203–210.
Jose, P. E. (1989). The role of gender and gender role similarity in readers' identification with story characters. Sex Roles, 27, 697–713.
Kassarjian, H. H. (1977). Content analysis in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 4, 8–18.
Katz, P. A. (1979). The development of female identity. In C. B. Kopp (ed.). Becoming female. Perspectives on development. New York: Plenum.
Livingstone, S., & Green, G. (1986). Television advertisements and the portrayal of gender. British Journal of Social Psychology, 25, 149–154.
Livingstone, S. M. (1989). Interpretive viewers and structured programs. Communication Research, 16, 25–58.
Lovdal, L. T. (1990). Sex role messages in television commercials: An update. Sex Roles, 21, 715–724.
Lovell, P. (1976). Discussion comments. In G. Major (ed.). Mass media in Australia. Sydney: Hodder & Stoughton, pp. 133–136.
Major, G. (ed.) (1976). Mass media in Australia. Sydney: Hodder & Stoughton.
Manstead, A. S. R. & McCulloch, C. (1981). Sex-role stereotyping in British television advertisements. British Journal of Social Psychology, 20, 171–180.
McArthur, L. Z., & Resko, B. G. (1975). The portrayal of men and women in American television commercials. The Journal of Social Psychology, 97, 209–220.
Millum, T. (1975). Images of women: advertising in women's magazines. London: Chatto & Windus.
National Commission on Working Women (1986). Women in focus: an analysis of TV's female characters and their jobs. Washington D.C.: National Commission of Working Women.
Peterson, C. C. (1989). Looking forward through the lifespan. Developmental psychology. 2nd. Edtn. Sydney: Prentice-Hall.
Rak, D. S., & McMullen, L. M. (1987). Sex-role stereotyping in television commercials: A verbal response mode and content analysis. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 19, 25–39.
Reep, D. C. & Dambrot, F. H. (1987a). Having it all? Career conflicts for TV's women. Journal of Studies in Technical Careers, 9, 217–233.
Reep, D. C. & Dambrot, F. H. (1987b). Television's professional women: working with men in the 1980s. Journalism Quarterly, 64, 376–381.
Reep, D. C. & Dambrot, F. H. (1989). Effects of frequent television viewing on stereotypes: ‘Drip, drip’ or ‘Drench’? Journalism Quarterly, 66, 542–556.
Scheibe, C. (1979). Sex roles in TV commercials. Journal of Advertising Research, 19, 23–27.
Schneider, K. C., & Schneider, S. B. (1979). Trends in sex roles in television commercials. Journal of Marketing, 43, 79–84.
Shannon, D. (1976). Discussion comments. In G. Major (ed.) Mass media in Australia. Sydney: Hodder & Stoughton, p. 146.
Summers, A. (1976). Discussion comments. In G. Major (ed.). Mass media in Australia. Sydney: Hodder & Stoughton, pp. 136–142.
Women's Bureau (1985). Facts on women at work in Australia, 1983. Canberra: AGPS
Women's Bureau of the Victorian Department of Employment and Youth Affairs (1979, August). Commercial television study by Women's Bureau. Women and Work Newsletter, 2(3), 3.
Wyndham, D. (1983). Australian women: as advertised versus the real thing. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 18, 182–190.
Wyndham, D. (1989). The portrayal of women in advertising: surveys and forum. Media Information Australia, 51, 58–61.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mazzella, C., Durkin, K., Cerini, E. et al. Sex role stereotyping in Australian television advertisements. Sex Roles 26, 243–259 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00289910
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00289910