Except for changes in the settings featuring women and men, gender portrayals in TV ads in 2010 and 2020 remained largely stereotypical

19 Nov 2025

This study compares Philippine television advertisements in 2010 and 2020 to examine possible differences in gender representation. We conducted a content analysis of 254 primetime TV ads from 2010 and 226 from 2020 using established variables, including the gender of the primary character, setting, degree of dress, voiceover, and product category. In terms of differences between 2010 and 2020, men predominated in work settings and women in home settings in 2010, whereas no significant gender differences in settings were observed in 2020. However, men and women continued to be represented stereotypically across several other variables in both 2010 and 2020: Women were more often portrayed as scantily dressed, indicating their sexualization, men were used for voiceovers, reinforcing their role as the “voice of authority,” and cosmetics/toiletries were associated with female primary characters, showing the strong association between women and beauty. Exposure to such representations might affect audiences who learn from these depictions and reinforce existing stereotypes.

This paper makes a significant contribution to the literature by providing one of the few studies on gender representation in advertising that compare representation across two time points. The findings reveal that, overall, gender representations in Philippine advertisements between 2010 and 2020 remained stereotypical, except for the settings in which women and men appeared in the ads, which no longer exhibited significant gender differences by 2020. In contrast, in 2010, men were more often shown at work and women at home. This change may reflect the growing gender equality in the workplace within Philippine society, where traditional roles are gradually being redefined. Despite this encouraging development, substantial work remains to address other stereotypes, particularly the persistent sexualization of women in advertising. The findings of this study underscore the importance of ongoing advocacy and education aimed at reducing gender biases in media representations.

Authors: Michael Prieler (The Media School, Hallym University) and Dave Centeno (Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business, University of the Philippines Diliman)

Read the full paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-025-01568-4

Except for changes in the settings featuring women and men, gender portrayals in TV ads in 2010 and 2020 remained largely stereotypical

This study compares Philippine television advertisements in 2010 and 2020 to examine possible differences in gender representation. We conducted a content analysis of 254 primetime TV ads from 2010 and 226 from 2020 using established variables, including the gender of the primary character, setting, degree of dress, voiceover, and product category. In terms of differences between 2010 and 2020, men predominated in work settings and women in home settings in 2010, whereas no significant gender differences in settings were observed in 2020. However, men and women continued to be represented stereotypically across several other variables in both 2010 and 2020: Women were more often portrayed as scantily dressed, indicating their sexualization, men were used for voiceovers, reinforcing their role as the “voice of authority,” and cosmetics/toiletries were associated with female primary characters, showing the strong association between women and beauty. Exposure to such representations might affect audiences who learn from these depictions and reinforce existing stereotypes.

This paper makes a significant contribution to the literature by providing one of the few studies on gender representation in advertising that compare representation across two time points. The findings reveal that, overall, gender representations in Philippine advertisements between 2010 and 2020 remained stereotypical, except for the settings in which women and men appeared in the ads, which no longer exhibited significant gender differences by 2020. In contrast, in 2010, men were more often shown at work and women at home. This change may reflect the growing gender equality in the workplace within Philippine society, where traditional roles are gradually being redefined. Despite this encouraging development, substantial work remains to address other stereotypes, particularly the persistent sexualization of women in advertising. The findings of this study underscore the importance of ongoing advocacy and education aimed at reducing gender biases in media representations.

Authors: Michael Prieler (The Media School, Hallym University) and Dave Centeno (Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business, University of the Philippines Diliman)

Read the full paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-025-01568-4