Gender and Mass Media: Representation of Women’s Images in Television Commercials

Irina A. Ilchenko
(translated by Olena Prykhodko)

Introduction:
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Ukraine is undergoing complex and lengthy
political, economic, and social transformations related to a gradual change from an
administrative and command model to a democratic model of society, including the construction
of civil society. Such transformations are accompanied by the necessity to create a democratic
culture of society and its integral part—gender culture. A powerful tool to create and
communicate gender democracy and gender culture of society are media-technologies which
have become an integral part of people’s everyday lives and part of Ukrainian culture. Mass
media are able to legitimate gender ideas and notions shaped by gender politics and ideology,
and to increase the probability of their reception by audiences. The efficacy of gender culture
formation depends both on state gender politics and on gender strategies and ideology of mass
media and the images presented by them.
The importance of this module is defined by a necessity to re-think gender aspects of mass media
in Ukraine and, in particular, of TV commercials as one of the most effective tools of gender
construction and socialization. A review of Ukrainian advertisement context (1990-2004)
through the lens of gender permits us to observe gender culture of the society during the past 14
years and evaluate its dynamics. A comparative analysis of American and Ukrainian TV
(commercial) contexts presents common and distinctive traits in gender culture and politics of
both countries.

Target audience:
Masters level students of journalism, sociology and other social science fields, as well as
journalists who are interested in gender research.

Academic Aims:
To reveal the role of TV commercials in creation of gender stereotypes, to develop analytical
skills for deconstructing the gendered nature of TV commercials, and to expose sexism in TV
commercials.
Learning objectives:
1. Students/practitioners will understand how gender stereotypes are presented in TV
commercials.
2. Students/practitioners will be able to analyze TV commercials using a gender approach.
3. Students/practitioners will develop a gender tolerant attitude and gender sensitive approach
regarding women’s images presented by commercials in Ukrainian TV space (national, regional,
and cable).

Key questions for the module:

1. What do women’s images presented by commercials within Ukrainian TV space communicate
to the audience about a woman’s role at home, at work, in political and social life?
2. In what ways are images of women’s appearance and self-representation presented in
commercials within Ukrainian TV space?
3. How do contemporary images in TV commercials reflect traditional women’s images in
Ukrainian society?
4. How have women’s images presented by commercials within Ukrainian TV space changed
during the past decade due to transformational processes within Ukrainian society ?

Module requirements: independent study of the recommended literature, participation in

discussions, application of content-analysis and «media-mirror» method to the research of
Ukrainian informational society within module topic.

Key concepts:
Androcentrism is a deep-rooted cultural tradition, which reduces common human
subjectivity/subjectivities to a single man’s norm represented as universal objectivity,
meanwhile other subjectivities and, first of all, woman’s, are represented as deviation and
marginality. Androcentrism is not simply a perspective on the world from man’s point of view,
but passing off man’s normative conceptions and life models for general universal social norms
and life models.

Gender is a concept which defines social gender of a person as opposite to his/her biological sex.
Gender presents a social role status, which defines social opportunities in education, professional
sphere, and access to power, family roles, and reproductive behaviour.
Gender democracy is a system of expression of will of two genders—women and men in the
civil society as equals in opportunities and rights fixed by law and provided by political and legal
principles, actions, and the creation of social and state structures which take into consideration
gender interests and needs.

Gender differentiation is defined as a process within which biological differences between men
and women are given a social meaning and used as means of social classification.

Gender identity is a basic structure of social identity, which characterizes a person (an
individual) according to her/his belonging to female or male group; the most important is how
the person categorizes herself/himself.

Gender culture is a combination of gender role values in social spheres of being and needs,
interests, and forms of activities corresponding to them; it is defined by the institutions of society
connected with the activities.

Gender politics is how the genders define and realize political goals, tasks, and methods of their
achievement within activities of political structures—state, political parties, and social and
political organizations.

Gender equity is a process of development of a just attitude toward and treatment of women and
men. To provide justice, criteria have to be developed to compensate historical and social
obstacles, which hamper men and women to exist under equal conditions. Justice leads to equal
rights.

Gender equality is an equal evaluation of women and men by society.

Gender role is a type of a social role, a set of expected patterns of behaviour (or norms) for
women and men. Gender role is understood as execution of certain social prescriptions, i.e.
corresponding behaviour to a certain gender expressed by speech, manners, cloths, gestures, etc.

Gender strategies define socially meaningful gender trends in activities and their organizational
structures, directed to establish gender democracy in the society for development of gender
culture.
Gender stratification is a process by which gender becomes a foundation for ranking people in a
social stratification system.

Gender stereotypes are common concepts (beliefs) formed in culture about how actual men and
women behave. The term should not be confused with the concept of “gender role” which means
a set of expected behavior patterns (or norms) for women and men. The appearance of gender
stereotypes is a result of historical construction of a gender relations model where gender
differences were situated above individual, qualitative differences of personality of man or
woman.

Masculinity presents a system of attitudes, characteristics of behavior, opportunities/possibilities

and expectations, which determine social practice of a group unified by the category of male
gender. In other words, masculinity is that which is added to anatomy to obtain a man’s role.

Sexism is an ideology and practice of discrimination against people on basis of their gender. It is
based on sets and beliefs according to which women (or men) are falsely prescribed (or denied)
certain qualities.

Feminism is a theory and practice of gender equity/equality developed on the basis of women’s
movements for emancipation. Often it is interpreted more broadly as various activities directed
to protect women’s rights based on ideas about legal gender equality. Feminism appeared as an
acknowledgement of the fact that there is injustice in social evaluation of women.

Femininity consists of characteristics related to woman’s gender or typical forms of behavior

expected from a woman in the society. It was traditionally assumed that femininity is
biologically predetermined, and it prescribed such traits as passivity, responsiveness, softness,
desire of motherhood, attentiveness, emotionality, etc. These ideas corresponded to women’s
belonging to domestic/private, non-public sphere.

Session 1
Introduction to gender (See also Introduction to Gender Studies module)
Definition of key notions: gender, sex, gender role, gender identity, gender differentiation,
gender stratification, gender socialization, gender stereotypes, femininity, masculinity,
androcentrism, patriarchy, and feminism. Also, discussion of sociology of gender, as a subject
and object of studies, and a problematic field in Ukrainian society.

Readings:
Gapova, Y., and A. Ousmanova. eds. 2000. Anthology of Gender Theory. Minsk: Propilei.
Bogachevska-Khomyak, M. 1998. The Society Re-evaluates Role of Women and Men in
Ukraine. By women’s gaze.
Dictionary of Gender Terms HYPERLINK http://www.owl.ru/gender/312.htm
Feofanova, A. 2003. Woman in Ukraine: Personality or Object? http://www.feminist.org.ua
Kultaeva, M.D., and I.I. Sheremet. 2001. “Gender studies in theoretical sociology,” in Western
European Theoretical Sociology in the XXth Century, 280-290. Kharkiv: V.N. Karazin Kharkiv
National University.
Giddens, A. 1995. Sociology. Osnovy, pp. 119-145.
Zherebkina, I.A. ed. 2001. Introduction to Gender Studies. Part I, 147-238 Kharkiv: KCGS, SPb:
Aleteia,.
Monakhova, N. Paradoxes of Nation Creation in Ukraine: Gender Aspect.
http://www.feminist.org.ua
Voronina, O.A. Gender. HYPERLINK http://www.owl.ru

Session 2
Advertisement as a tool for presenting women’s images
This session will focus on commercials as communicative means; peculiarities of commercials’
history in post-Soviet Ukraine; images of a modern Ukrainian woman at home, at work, in
politics and in society presented by TV commercial in Ukrainian informational space; television
women’s images as an instrument of self-identification (imitation) for women (appearance, self-
representation).

Preliminary task for students:

To watch Ukrainian commercials on TV for an evening, to describe women’s images and to
make a list of goods and services advertised by women on TV.

Activities:
First half of a double period: Lecture
Second half of a double period: Discussion about dominant type of women’s appearance
(beauty) in commercials on Ukrainian TV. Do images presented on TV correspond to reality ?
Social consequences of the conflict between the “desired” image and “real” women.
Readings:
Alchuk, A. 1998. “Metamorphosis of Woman’s Image in Russian Advertisements.” Gendernyye
Issledovaniya (Gender Studies), Vol.1 Kharkiv: KCGS.
Datsyuk, S. You should watch commercials attentively or otherwise you shouldn’t watch them at
all. http://psyfactor.by.ru/rec.19.htm
Groshev, I. 1999. “Image of Woman in Advertisements.” Woman, Gender, Culture, 331-343
Moscow: MCGS.
Groshev, I. Advertising technologies of gender. http://ons.rema.ru:8100/2000/4/19.htm
Levinson, A. 2000. Woman as a goal and means of local advertisement,” in Woman and Visual
Signs, ed., A. Alchuk, 43-65. Moscow: Idea-Press.
Lisitsa, N. 1999. Advertisement in Contemporary Society. Kharkiv: Osnova, 164-182.
Shcherba, O.I. 2002. “Gender Aspects of Advertisement.” Sociological Studies of
Contemporary Society: Methodology, Theory, and Methods. #543, 193-196. Kharkiv: V.N.
Karazin Kharkiv National University.
Tourkina, O. 2000. “Peep-show (Adaptation of Woman’s Image in Russian Commercials),” in
Woman and Visual Signs, ed., A. Alchuk, 78-87. Moscow: Idea-Press.
“Ukrainian Law About Advertisement” Verkhovna Rada News, 2004, Vol.#8, article 62.
Yurchak, A. 2000. Following in Footsteps of Woman’s Image,” in Woman and Visual Signs, ed.,
A. Alchuk, 65-77. Moscow: Idea-Press.

Session 3
TV commercials as an agent of gender socialization
Theory of gender socialization; dynamics of images of masculinity and femininity in history and
peculiarities of these images in Ukrainian culture. Ukrainian cultural experience and modern TV
commercials: gender accents. National identity and/or world trends in presentation of women’s
images within contemporary Ukrainian TV commercials.

Preliminary task for students:

To read a couple of Ukrainian fairy tales and to find typical characteristics of women’s images.
To make a list of such characteristics.

Activities:
First hour of a double period.
Lecture
Second hour of a double period.
Discussion: Can we consider traditional images of Ukrainian women as contemporary?

Essay. A contemporary “gender reading” of Ukrainian classics, traditional Ukrainian women’s

images, and their inclusion in a contemporary Ukrainian context (of student’s choice).
Are TV commercials a way to manipulate tastes or a factor of personalization and acquisition of
power over one’s own appearance?

Readings:
Bern, S. 2002.Gender Psychology. Saint Petersburg: Prime-EVROZNAK, pp. 29-83, 238-267.
Klimenkova, T. 1996. Woman as a Phenomenon of Culture: View from Russia. Moscow:
Preobrazheniye, pp. 88-117.
Kolinko, M.V. 2003. “Gender transformations and cultural stereotypes,” in Gender: Realities
and Perspectives in Ukrainian Society, 285-289. Kharkiv: Foliant.
Lull, J. 2002. Media, Communication, Culture: Global approach. Kharkiv: K.I.C., pp. 45-48,
101-102.
Kokotyukha, A.A 2004. Why is Ukraine not Russia? Kharkiv : Folio, pp. 9-31.

Session 4
Creative and destructive abilities of commercials in supporting gender equality
Focus on gender equity and sex and gender as resources of sexual/gender differences; biological
and social differences; social opinion about gender role stereotypes examined through a gender
perspective; gender stereotypes of mass consciousness in advertisement discourse; sexism in
advertisement discourse; discrimination and violence against women as a global problem;
destructive role of TV commercials that include violence and discrimination against women in
shaping gender culture; role of TV commercials in disclosure of “women’s potential,” creation
of a positive image, overcoming gender stereotypes.

Preliminary task:
Students as asked to select Ukranian proverbs, sayings, and/or fairy tales, which have sexist
content.

Activities:
First half of a double period: Lecture
Second half of a double period.
Discussion: Compare concepts “gender equity” and “gender equality”.
What are comparative characteristics of these concepts?
Cite examples of TV commercials, which show gender equity and equality.

Readings:
Anzhikhina, N. 2000. “Gender stereotypes in contemporary mass media.” Gendernyye
Issledovaniya (Gender Studies) Vol. 5: 261-273
Bern, S. 2002. Gender Psychology. SPb: Prime-EVROZNAK, 203-219
Groshev, I. 1998. “Gender Role Stereotypes in Advertisement.” Psychology Journal Vol.3.
Ilyasova, I. 2000. “Overcoming Gender Stereotypes.” Obrazovaniye i Bussiness, #34.
Nelson, T. 2003. Psychology of Bias. Secrets of Patterns of Thinking, Perception, and Behavior.
SPb.: Prime-EVROZNAK.
Voronina, O. 1999. “Freedom of Speech and Stereotypical Image of Woman in Mass Media.”
Znamya #2.
Yurchak, A. 2000. “Following Footsteps of Woman’s Image: Symbolic Work of New
Advertisement Discourse,” in Woman and Visual Signs, ed., A. Alchuk, 65-77. Moscow: Idea-
Progress.
Zadabykina, Y. Sexism in Mass Media. http://www.a-z.ru/women/texts/zadabyk2r.htm

Evaluation:
Essays on topics of students’ choice from among the following:
What do images of women presented by commercials in Ukrainian TV space communicate to the
audience about roles of women at home, at work, in political and social life?
In what way are images of women’s appearance and self-presentation presented in commercials
in TV space in Ukraine?
How do contemporary TV images in commercials reflect images of women traditional for
Ukrainian culture?
How have images of women presented by commercials in TV space changed in the past decade
in relation to transformational processes in Ukrainian society?

Class and Teacher Evaluation:

Questions for students to evaluate the module (on a scale of 0-5 or 0-10), if the material was
clearly presented and if it was useful, what should be improved, what other material on the topic
should be introduced, etc. The structure and material of the module can be changed based on the
students’ suggestions. This class and teacher evaluation can be also provided after each session.