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45 J. Broad. & Elec. Media 41 (2001)
Interactions, Activities and Gender in Children's Television Commercials: A Content Analysis

handle is hein.journals/jbem45 and id is 51 raw text is: Interactions, Activities and Gender in Children's Television Commercials: A Content Analysis Mary Strom Larson This content analysis examined 595 commercials featuring children in programming aimed at children. It analyzed the portrayals of activities and interactions of boys and girls in both single-gender and mixed-gender commercials. Nearly equal numbers of girls and boys were portrayed together acting cooperatively. However, single-gender commercials por- trayed girls in stereotypical domestic settings. Also, the primary activity of children in the commercials analyzed was non-creative play, and consider- able violence and aggression were portrayed. Children begin to form their gender identities at a very young age, basing that identity not only on what they observe about real people, but also on what they see in the mass media (Berryman-Fink, Ballard-Reisch, & Newman, 1993). Indeed, many children have formed their gender identities by the time they reach school age (see Browne, 1998; Levy, Barth & Zimmerman, 1998). Parents, especially of young children, are becoming increasingly sensitive to the influence of the media, particularly television. They are also becoming aware of the rapid changes in the landscape of children's programming. Not long ago, one needed to monitor only the three major networks and PBS to assess the nature of the programming children watch. At the time of this study, however, Nickelodeon, even though it is on cable and not available to all children, had captured a 48% share of the viewing of children aged 2-11 (Burgi, 1996). During the 1998-99 season, Nickelodeon beat its closest competitor, ABC, for Saturday morning programming by 31% (TV Week, 1999). Fox Children's TV Network has also been aggressively pursuing the children's market (Flint, 1996). At the same time, there were no longer any big three network programs targeted for children on weekdays. On Saturday morning, NBC had no programming targeted at children younger than teens. However, while many parents are vigilant about monitoring the programs their Mary Strom Larson (Ed.D., Northern Illinois University, 1985) is a Professor in the Department of Communication, Northern Illinois University). Her principal interests are media uses and effects, especially concerning television and the family. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Broadcast Education Association in April 1998. This research was supported by a Research Grant from the Graduate School, Northern Illinois University. This manuscript was accepted for publication by the previous editor. © 2001 Broadcast Education Association Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 45(1), 2001, pp. 41-56

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