Gender roles in children's television advertisements: Case of Cartoon Network

Gender roles play an important role in the development of children. The roles that a society attributes to men and women are conveyed to children by many institutions. In the process of socialization, the child firstly learns gender roles from his family. Mass media has an important place in this learning process that started in the family. Mass media plays a role in reinforcing gender roles. Among the mass media, television has an undeniable role in the presentation of gender roles. Television advertising plays a key role in the transposition, reinforcement and reproduction of gender roles. The presentation of gender roles, especially in television commercials for children, shapes children's views on gender. Many gender-related codes of conduct transmitted through television commercials are decisive in shaping these children's thoughts. The aim of this study is to reveal how gender roles are presented in television commercials for children. The study will contribute to the understanding of gender stereotypes in television commercials for children. For this purpose, the ads broadcasted in Cartoon Network between April 1, 2019 and April 30, 2019, in the 18.00-21.00 time zone were investigated. Ads were analyzed by quantitative content analysis method. As a result, it was seen that gender stereotypes exist in television commercials for children. Key Words: Gender, Gender Roles, Children, Advertisement