Product Purchase Decision-Making Behavior and Gender Role Stereotypes: A Content Analysis of Advertisements in Essence and Ladies’ Home Journal, 1990–1999

Abstract

In this study, product categories advertised most and least often by women only, by men only, and by both women and men were examined in 2 women's magazines, 1 that targets a Black female audience, Essence, and 1 that targets a White female audience, Ladies' Home Journal. The goal was to determine if the magazines’ readers are being exposed to images that send a message that specific product purchase decision-making behavior is gender based. A content analysis of over 14,000 advertisements revealed that advertisements fail to portray women as either capable of or having the need to make a wide range of product purchase decisions. Most advertisements printed in the magazines featured women making purchase decisions for products that pertain to the appearance of themselves, their children, or their homes. In contrast, the magazines featured few advertisements for financial services and technology products, both of which are important product purchase decisions made by females in general and by female heads of households in particular. Women's magazine advertisements continue to subject women to traditional, patriarchal defined images of women's lives rather than reflections of their daily experiences and aspirations.

Keywords:

• product purchase decision-making
• women's magazines
• advertisements
• gender roles
• content analysis

Alison Coe, Sheri Hamilton, and Shiela Tarr were Middle Tennessee State University graduate students during the data collection phase of this study.

A version of this manuscript was presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Miami, FL, August 2002. This research was supported in part by a MTSU 2002 Summer Faculty Research Grant, and in part by a summer research grant from Cornell University, Department of Communication, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Notes

Note. Italicized categories are those for which product purchase decisions are traditionally believed to be made by men.

Note. χ² = (28, N = 7, 904) = 2020.6, p < .001. Numbers in parentheses are percentages.

Note. χ² = (28, N = 6, 412) = 1233, p < .001. Numbers in parentheses are percentages.

Note. Source: Bacon's Magazine Directory (McFarland, 1998).

^aProvides Black women between 18 and 34 with news and information on entertainment, social and business topics. Editorial covers health, beauty, and lifestyle updates, as well as reporting on the financial, political and social issues pertaining to Black women today.

^bFocuses on the interests of today's at-home and working mother with features on decorating, entertaining, news, fitness, nutrition, family relationships, and contemporary lifestyle trends.

^cMagazines' advertising rates as listed in their 2001 media kits.