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Television Commercials as a Lagging Social Indicator: Gender Role Stereotypes in Korean Television Advertising

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Abstract

Previous studies of mass media in many countries have confirmed that images of women are stereotypical and unrealistic, particularly in television advertising. This study was designed to analyze the representation of gender roles in Korean television advertising and to compare the results with previous studies conducted in other countries. A sample of 878 Korean television advertisements from the MBC network in 2001 was content analyzed. Findings indicate that women in Korean television advertising were portrayed as young (48.2%), as dependent (37.5%), and as nurturing children (12.1%); they were often depicted in the home (37.2%). These stereotypical images of women have been found in television advertising in many countries. Korean society has changed a great deal in recent decades, but the images we analyzed do not reflect the current situation. Therefore, television commercials are a lagging social indicator of role changes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Mass Communication and Media Arts, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, Illinois

    Kwangok Kim & Dennis T. Lowry

  2. College of Mass Communication and Media Arts, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, Illinois, 62901-6601

    Kwangok Kim

Authors
  1. Kwangok Kim
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  2. Dennis T. Lowry
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Correspondence to Kwangok Kim.

Additional information

A longer version of this article was presented at the annual convention of the International Communication Association, Seoul, Korea, July, 2002

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Kim, K., Lowry, D.T. Television Commercials as a Lagging Social Indicator: Gender Role Stereotypes in Korean Television Advertising. Sex Roles 53, 901–910 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-8307-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-8307-1

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