An Empirical study on Perception of the Role Portrayal of Women

in Advertisement

Dr. Deepika Taparia1

Deepika.taparia@jagannathuniversity.org
Department of Management Studies
Jagannath University, Jaipur

Mr. Madhav Sharma2

Madhav.sharma@jagannathuniversity.org
Department of Engineering & Technology
Jagannath University, Jaipur

Abstract

Advertising is the important segment to portrayal the role of women in the mind of the general
mass of Indian society. However, researchers have a great concern towards depiction of women
as sex symbols, objects of desire and so on. The objective of this research paper is to define
opinion and response of the people against the portrayal of women in these advertisements.
Mostly the advertisers use females as the eye-catching object to capture the attention of the
viewers.To check the perception of viewers towards portrayal of women in advertisement, 16
statement were selected and based on these statements data were collected from the viewers and
Varimox rotation are used to curb the finding of the research. The result depicts that the
advertising plays a crucial role in changing the mindset of viewers in the Indian society.

Keywords: Advertising, Gender, Women’s portrayal, Women Stereotypical Images in Indian

media.

1. Introduction
Advertising plays a significant impact on the image of women in society. The field of advertising
is very diverse and broad. Advertisement has enough power to change the mind of the public and
it also persuade the consumer to buy the product.

The perception of customers towards women in advertisements can be influenced by a variety of

factors, including their personal beliefs, experiences, and cultural background. Research has
shown that the way women are portrayed in advertisements can have a significant impact on how
they are perceived by customers.
For example, when women are depicted in stereotypical roles, such as homemakers or sexual
objects, it can reinforce negative stereotypes and perpetuate gender inequalities. This can lead
customers to view women as less capable or competent than men. Additionally, objectifying and
sexualizing women in advertisements can lead to the objectification of all women in the
customer's mind.

On the other hand, when women are portrayed in more positive and diverse roles, such as leaders
or professionals, it can help to challenge stereotypes and promote more equal and respectful
perceptions of women. Additionally, when advertisements show women in a more realistic and
relatable way, it can help customers to see women as more human, and not just as a product.

However, the customer perception towards women in advertisement also depends on the cultural
background, generation and personal beliefs of the customers. Some might find a more
sexualized representation of women in advertisement more appealing, while others might find it
offensive.[1]

2. Objective of the study:

The objective of a research study on the perception of the role portrayal of women in
advertisements could be to understand the impact that media representation has on the public's
perception of women and gender roles. The study may aim to:

 Analyze the representation of women in advertisements across different media platforms

(television, print, online, etc.)
 Examine the stereotypical roles that are commonly portrayed in advertisements and how
they influence public attitudes and beliefs about women
 Investigate the effects of gender-biased advertising on society, including women's self-
esteem, body image, and career aspirations
 Varimox rotation are used to curb the finding of the research The ultimate goal of this
research could be to provide insights into the ways in which the media influences public
attitudes and beliefs about women and gender roles and to contribute to efforts to
promote more positive and equitable representation of women in advertisements.

3. Research Methodology
To study the perception of the role portrayal of women in advertisement, the following
research methodology can be used:

 Survey Design: A survey can be designed to gather data from a large sample of people
about their perceptions of the role portrayal of women in advertisements.
  Content Analysis: A content analysis of advertisements can be conducted to identify the
representation of women in advertisements and how they are portrayed.
 Focus Groups: Focus groups can be conducted to gather in-depth information about
people's perceptions of the role portrayal of women in advertisements.
 Experiments: Experimental studies can be conducted to assess the impact of different
advertisement content on people's perceptions of the role portrayal of women.
 Secondary Data Analysis: Secondary data, such as previous research studies or industry
reports, can be analyzed to understand the existing research on the perception of the role
portrayal of women in advertisements.

4. Data Analysis:
To analyze the data collected on the perception of the role portrayal of women in advertisements,
the following techniques can be used:

1. Descriptive Statistics: Descriptive statistics can be used to summarize the data and
describe the sample's characteristics, such as mean, median, mode, and standard
deviation.
2. Inferential Statistics: Inferential statistics can be used to make inferences about the
population based on the sample data. This can include t-tests, ANOVA, and
regression analysis.
3. Content Analysis: The content analysis data can be analyzed using thematic analysis
to identify common themes and patterns in the representation of women in
advertisements.
4. Qualitative Data Analysis: Qualitative data from focus groups or in-depth interviews
can be analyzed using thematic analysis or a grounded theory approach to identify
patterns and themes in people's perceptions of the role portrayal of women in
advertisements.
5. Statistical Testing: Statistical testing, such as chi-square or logistic regression, can
be used to test the relationship between variables, such as the type of advertisement
and people's perceptions of the role portrayal of women.

5. Scope of study: The scope of the study of the perception of the role portrayal of
women in advertisements can encompass several areas including:
1. Analysis of gender representation in different types of advertisements (e.g. television,
print, online)
2. Examination of the stereotypical roles assigned to women in advertisements (e.g.
homemaker, sexual object)
 3. Examination of the impact of gender representation in advertisements on consumer
attitudes and behavior
4. Comparison of gender representation in advertisements across different cultures and
regions
5. Analysis of the influence of changing social attitudes and values on the representation of
women in advertisements.

6. Analytical View
An analytical view of customer perception towards women in advertisements would involve
studying and evaluating the various factors that influence how customers view women in
advertisements. This could include analyzing the representation of women in different types of
advertisements, such as print, television, or online ads, as well as studying the impact of various
advertising techniques, such as language, imagery, and tone.

One approach to analyzing customer perception towards women in advertisements is to conduct

surveys or focus groups to gather data on how customers respond to different types of
advertisements featuring women. This could involve presenting participants with a variety of ads
and asking them to rate the ads based on factors such as the portrayal of women, the
effectiveness of the ad, and their overall impression of the ad.[2]

Overall, an analytical view of customer perception towards women in advertisements would

involve a comprehensive and nuanced approach that takes into account a wide range of factors,
including representation, advertising techniques, and demographic factors.

Factor analysis is a statistical method for observing the variable and co variance between them.
These variables are associated with a latent function, which can be understood as a factor The
analysis which is presented to know the perception of customer towards advertisement is
exploratory in nature. From various subjects and respondent, the individual perception is asked
from 16 well defined questions. The responses are recorded on a Five Point Likert Scale. Every
question portrayed a probable image of women that an advertisement can create in mind of
customer. The independency of the observed variable is used to reduce the number of set of
variable in dataset. Here the considered numbers of observed variables are thought to reflect a
smaller number of underlying latent variables. [3]

7. Identification of Factors
There are a number of factors that can influence customer perception towards women in
advertisements, including:

Representation: The way that women are portrayed in advertisements, including their roles,
personalities, and physical appearance, can have a significant impact on customer perception.
Research has shown that when women are depicted in stereotypical or limited roles, such as
homemakers or sexual objects, it can reinforce negative stereotypes and perpetuate gender
inequalities.

Advertising Techniques: The use of certain language, imagery, and tone in advertisements can
also influence customer perception. For example, advertisements that use sexualized or
objectifying language and imagery can contribute to the objectification of women and lead to
negative perceptions of women.

The Product: The type of product being advertised can also shape the customer's perception of
the women in the advertisement. For instance, if the product is related to beauty, fitness or
fashion, the representation of women in the ad will be different from an advertisement for a car
or a technology product.

Societal Attitudes: Societal attitudes and beliefs about gender roles, beauty standards, and other
related issues can also shape customer perception towards women in advertisements.

Prior Experience: A customer's prior experiences with similar advertisements can affect their
perception of the advertisement and the representation of women in it.

Overall, it's important to consider all these factors when evaluating customer perception towards
women in advertisements, as they all play a role in shaping customer attitudes and perceptions.

To conduct the analysis, a number of advertisements are considered for review process. To know
the perception of the people, certain practices in Indian advertisements are identified where-in
the women are involved. Such practices are listed down and give shape of question in a Likert
Scale. The responses of the respondent are recorded on a five point Likert Scale and the factors
are climbed together on the basis of factor loading to each other. A four factor solution is
extracted by one criteria, which is eighteen value>1. These four factors are underdone with
VARIMAX rotation which decreased the moderate factor loading and increased those loading
which are already high and gave us clear factor loading. Table presented provide detail of factor
loading of reach items. Mentioned list if items is included in the study.[5]

8. Clubbing of Factors
Together, the four factors explain which are responding for total variance. 4 factors are extracted
from 16 statements; which are further grouped together as per category they fall into. The entire
factors are indicating unnecessary, unethical and irrelevant portrayal of women in advertisement.
The woman is used as a sex object in various ways to create customer interest. The factor 1 st is
named Role as a sex object. The second category showed four factors which show a high
association with the factor 2nd. The factor here are indicating involvement of women in
household work and living is home. The category of these entire factors is labeled as women in
family role. The loading for 3rd factor rates high in statement, which is indicative of women as
dependant and following the male. 3 statement from a total 16 are loaded high in this category.
All are indicative of showing women as dependant on men and following him. The category
named as women as dependent on men. The 4th factor fetched 4 statement from a total 16, which
loaded high in this category. The statement are indicative of showing women as independent and
working in corporate. [7]

S.NO

Statements Category

Often women are shown in advertisement which are Entertainment @ Customer interest
1
not related to women

Women are shown in a erotic manner to create

2 Entertainment @ Customer interest
customer interest

Advertisement shows women engaged in household Family Role

3
work.

4 Male are shown dominant to women in advertisement Dependent and Follower

Female body part are shown intentionally excessively

5 Entertainment @ Customer interest

Advertisement shows women in executive role rather

6 Dependent and Follower
than managerial

Women are shown as working in office/ Corporate

7 Jobs Independent and Follower

Entertainment and Customer

interest
Young girls and beautiful women are shown in
8
advertisement
 Family Role
Advertisement shows women engaged as taking care
9
of children & other family members

Entertainment and Customer

interest
Female voice and audio are used in most of the
10
advertisement

Advertisement shows women engaged in official

Independent working
11 administrative work

Women shown as worried, tired and tensed in

Dependent and Follower
12 advertisement

Family Role
13 Women are shown inside house in advertisement

Family Role
14 Women had shown in buying general Items.

Independent working
15 Women shown in corporate dressing / confident.

16 Lead role in high value product advertisement Independent working

Table No.1: Statements and categories

9. Categories of Perception
 Consumer
perception

As Family Role As Weak and As Independent As sex object for

Follower and working customer Interest

Inside Home Taking Shown as Unrelated

instruction working in Product
Office

Household work Dependent on

man
Young Beautiful
Shown leading women
men
Buying General Not dominating
Items

Care for old age Executive / Leadrole in high Female audio/

parents. Administrative value product Voice
advertisement

Erotic Video
Representation

Shown in
corporate
dressing and Body Parts
Confident exposure.
Figure 1: Categories of Perception
 9.1 Introduction of women to generate customer interest

There are several advertisement, which are reviewed and certain advertisement are found to have
introduce women, which was not relevant in different senses. The first reason which makes them
irrelevant is the introduction of women in advertisement of products, which are not used by
women. This shows a clear step to create the interest of customer. The second practice in this
move is sudden and immediate attraction of women toward men, who use certain products,
which is nor practical and realistic. The third practice noticed in this category is use of erotic and
obscene images and videos of women, which is intentionally done to create viewer interest and
entertainment. Rather a simple looking women, beautiful and young women and girls are
selected for advertisement. The female audio and voices are preferred to be used rather than
male. All these practice are clubbed together to form a category titled introduction of women for
entertainment and customer interest. Introducing women in advertisements is a common strategy
used by marketers to generate customer interest and appeal to a wider audience. This can be done
through the use of female models, actresses, or other representatives to promote products or
services. Research has shown that the presence of women in advertisements can increase the
appeal of products and services to female customers, as well as to male customers.[8]

One of the ways to introduce women in advertisements is through the use of women as brand
ambassadors. This involves selecting a woman who embodies the values and image of the brand
and using her as the face of the brand. This can help to create a more relatable and personal
connection between the customer and the brand.

Another way to introduce women in advertisements is through the use of female characters in
storytelling advertisements. This can be done by creating an ad that tells a story and includes a
female character who is relatable and likable. This can help to create a more emotional
connection between the customer and the brand and increase the chances of them making a
purchase.[10]

Additionally, the representation of women in advertisements can also be influenced by societal

attitudes, cultural background and the product being advertised. For instance, some products may
be more suitable to be advertised by women and others by men.

Overall, introducing women in advertisements can be an effective way to generate customer

interest, appeal to a wider audience, and create a more emotional and personal connection
between customers and the brand.

9.2 Portrayal of women in Family Role

To know the probable perception of women in advertisement, different advertisement are

watched and reviewed. In the advertisement majority of time, the women is shown inside the
home, in others she is shown to take decision or buy products, which are used for household
work, like cleaning, making food, washing clothes. These advertisements prepare a perception
that women are supposed to do all household work word and have a role to take care of family.
In addition women are also depicted to take care of children’s and old age parents, which make
the perception more strong.

9.3 Portrayal of women as weak and dependent

The other category of probable perception of customer by watching advertisement makes them
believe that the women are independent and weak. They are dominated by male and dependent
on male. They are majorly shown in an executive role taking instruction from the male boss. The
same can be seen in the advertisement, which locate the women in a family, obeying the male in
the videos. In few advertisements, women are shown tensed, perplexed and tensed. This creates
an image of women as a follower and dependent on men.

9.4 Portrayal of women as working and Independent.

Few advertisements show women in a leading position and working on corporate office. They
are shown to wear corporate suite and dressed. They found to be leading men and portrayed very
confident, taking decision. In Other advertisement they are introduced as a lead role in high
valued products like cars, homes and other. These create an image of independent, working class,
self dependent person. All these advertisement are falling in one category and they deemed to
create a perception of independent women in mind of customer.

10. Varimox Rotation

Factor categories as
per Loading
label Variable
F1 F2 F3
F4 COMMUNICALITIES

Often women are shown in advertisement

1 0.768 - - - 0.675
which are not related to women

Women are shown in a erotic and manner to

2 0.743 - - - 0.656
create customer interest

Young girls and beautiful women are shown

8 0.624 - - - 0.542
in advertisement

Female voice and audio are used in most of

10 0.615 - - - 0.454
the advertisement
 Female body part are shown intentionally
5 0.610 - - - 0.767
excessively

Advertisement shows women engaged in

3 - 0.745 - - 0.565
household work.

Advertisement shows women engaged as

9 taking care of children & Other family - 0.705 - - 0.456
Members

Women are shown inside house in

13 - 0.698 - - 0.545
advertisement

Women take decision to buy household

14 - 0.620 - - 0.465
items

Male are shown dominant to women in 0.71

4 - - - 0.561
advertisement 5

Advertisement shows women in executive 0.69

6 - - - 0.665
role rather than managerial 0

Women shown as worried, tired and tensed 0.66

12 - - - 0.765
in advertisement 0

Women are shown as working in office/ 0.70

7 - - - 0.546
Corporate Jobs 1

Advertisement shows as leading man 0.65

11 - - - 0.453
5

Women shown in corporate dressing / 0.54

15 - - - 0.444
confident. 6

Women shown in leading role in high end

value product advertisement 0.51
16 - - 0.563
0

Eigenvalue 3.430 3.180 1.65 1.20

 16.2 11.3
Variance explained (%) 21.45 18.22
2 4

0.76 0.71
Cronchbach'sa(%) 0.767 0.687
0 0

Total Variance Explained (%) Total 67.23

Reliability Cronchbach's a (%) 0.796

Finding and conclusion

The factors are rotated on the basis of factor loading with the help of Varimox rotation and
categories are formed by clubbing the factors in to categories. The first category which cause
shows maximum variance are for factors which support introduction of women in advertisement
to gain customer interest. This category shows 21.45% of variance. This is followed by
perception to women in family role. The freeness and variance resulted 18.22% of variance.
These included all the factors which make perception of women as someone who take care of
family. 16.22% of variance is showed by factors which support formation of perception of
women as someone who is depended on men and lastly 11.34 % variance is caused by factors
which are different from all the above category and shows women as independent working
women. The factor analysis helps us to prove that advertisement plays a very crucial and
important role in formation of perception towards women.

References
[1] Åkestam, N., Rosengren, S., & Dahlen, M. (2017). Advertising “like a girl”: Toward a better
understanding of “femvertising” and its effects. Psychology & Marketing, 34(8), 795- 806.

[2] Das, M., & Sharma, S. (2017). Perception of the Young Adults towards the Portrayal of
Women in Contemporary Indian Television Advertisements. Media Watch, 8(3), 339-354

[3] Kapoor, D., & Munjal, A. (2019). Self-consciousness and emotions driving femvertising: A
path analysis of women’s attitude towards femvertising, forwarding intention and purchase
intention. Journal of Marketing Communications, 25(2), 137-157.

[4] Pérez, M. P. R., & Gutiérrez, M. (2017). Femvertising: female empowering strategies in
recent spanish commercials. Investigaciones feministas, 8(2), 337-351.

[5] Teng, F., Hu, J., Chen, Z. et al. (2020). Sexism and the Effectiveness of Femvertising in
China: A Corporate Social Responsibility Perspective. Sex Roles.
[6]Varghese, N., & Kumar, N. (2020). Feminism in advertising: irony or revolution? A critical
review of femvertising. Feminist Media Studies, 1-19.

[7] Matthes, J., Prieler, M., & Adam, K. (2016). Gender-role portrayals in television advertising
across the globe. Sex roles, 75(7-8), 314-327.

[8] Pérez, M. P. R., & Gutiérrez, M. (2017). Femvertising: female empowering strategies in
recent spanish commercials. Investigaciones feministas, 8(2), 337-351.

[9] Sharma, S. (2017). Portrayal of Women in TV Advertisements: A Study of Audience

Perception. IUP Journal of Marketing Management, 15(3), 57-94.

[10] Natarajan et al (2020). Creating the customer: The influence of advertising on consumer
market segments-Evidence and ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 42(1), 83-100

[11] Akestam, N. (2021). Understanding Advertising Stereotypes: Social and Brand Related
Effects of Stereotyped Portrayals in Advertising.

[12] Ihechu, I. P. & Oduh, L. O. (2019). Advertising and public relations research. Enugu:
IykeLitto Publishers

[13] Acevedo, C. R., Nohara, J. J., Arruda, A. L., Tamashiro, S. & Brashear, T. G. (2006). How
Women Are Depicted In Ads? A Content Analysis Study with Brazilian Advertisements.
International Business & Economics Research Journal, 5(10), 59-72. 5.
10.19030/iber.v5i10.3517.