ABSTRACT
This research focuses on
the portrayal of female gender in television advertising in Nigeria with
respect to NTA Ilorin. The study tends to stop the indecent portrayal of women
in television advertisement is what promoted this research. The research examines
some advertisements in NTA Ilorin so as to carefully deduce the true portrayal
of women in television advertisements. Ten advertisements were studied using
content analysis method and survey method was used to find out the perception
of Ilorin west local government Area of Kwara state. The study used social
construction of reality theory and social learning theory. It was discovered
that women are portrayed in television advertisement as domestic workers and
weak being.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Table
of Contents v
List
of Tables vi
Abstract vii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background of the Study 1
1.2 Statement of the problem 5
1.3 Objectives of the Study 6
1.4 Research Questions 6
1.5 Significance of the Study 7
1.6 Scope of the Study 8
1.7 Definition of Terms 8
CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL
FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Theoretical Framework 10
2.1.1 Social Construction of Reality 10
2.1.2 Social Learning Theory 13
2.2 Conceptual Review 16
2.2.1 Advertising 16
2.2.2 Television Advertising. 22
2.2.3 History of Television Advertising. 23
2.2.4 Portrayal of Female Gender in
Advertising. 25
2.2.5 Evaluation 29
2.2.6 APCON and Advertisement regulation
in Nigeria 30
2.2.7 Advertising Media 31
2.2.8
Brief History of NTA 34
2.3 Empirical Review 34
CHAPTER
THREE: METHOD
OF THE STUDY
3.1 Research Method 38
3.2 Population of the Study 38
3.3 Sample size and Sampling Technique 39
3.4 Research Instrument 40
3.5 Validity of the Research Instrument 40
3.6 Reliability of the Research Instrument 41
3.7 Method of administration of the
instrument 42
3.8 Method of data analysis 42
CHAPTER
FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
4.1 Field
Performance of Research Questions 43
4.2 Analysis
of Data on Research Questions 43
4.3 Discussion
of Finding 52
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY,
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Limitation 55
5.2 Summary 55
5.3 Conclusion 56
5.3 Recommendation 57
5.3.1 Recommendations to various Stakeholders 57
5.4.2 Recommendation to Future Research 58
References 59
List of Tables
Table 1, 2 and 3 answers research question
one. 43
Table 3 Women are stereotyped in
television advert 44
Table 4 answers the research question two 44
Table 5 answers the third research
question 45
Table 6. 7 and 8 answers the fourth
research question 50
CHAPTER
ONE
1.0
Introduction
1.1
Background of the study
Advertisements
are generally characterized by their persuasive nature. Television advertising
is characterized by the ability of the medium to transmit content to a mass
audience simultaneously (Barker and Angelo 2006:12). These characteristics of
television advertising have been the subject of concern, criticism, and
continuous study (Jones 1999: 165). Bignell (2004:210) explains that it is the
perception that television has connections to the real world of culture and
society in which it exists that makes it critical in research. Bignell (2004)
also states that television is fascinating to study because it seeks to provide
the audience with elements, issues and events that they are currently
experiencing.
Bolland
(2005:11) defines advertising as the “paid placement of organizational
messages”. Cook (1992:5) states that, “advertising can tell us a great deal
about our own society and our own psychology”. Cook (1992) like many other
researchers in this field (Branston and Stafford 1999, Kim and Lowry 2005) acknowledge
that advertisements can serve as a gauge of social norms, values, as well as
the interests of society.
Bovee
and Arens (1992) define advertising as ‘a non-personal communication of
information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature, about products,
service or ideas by an identified sponsor’.
Research has shown that
television advertising often uses stereotypes gender specific roles of men and
women thereby reinforcing existing clichés, (Kim and Lowry 2005). Olabisi
(2002) asserts that in the world of television advertisements, women are more
negatively stereotyped thus undermining the struggle for gender equality. She
added that men and women are aware of the cultural prevalence of traditional
gender stereotypes (mostly in women) and television contributes to this
awareness. Bardwick and Schumann (1976) analyzed the portrayal of women in
television commercials and concluded that to an amazing extent women are
preoccupied with dirt, and the television woman in commercials is shown as housebound.
(p. 18).
This
shows that people watching televisions are bombarded with images and slogans
through advertisements. In a 2000 Nielsen Media Research and Radio Advertising
Bureau survey it was found that on average, U.S. households watch more than seven
hours of television per day (Albarran, 2000).
People
memorize slogans and absorb images without questioning them. More importantly
people do it without thinking. This is what Gerbner, Gross, Morgan and
Signorieli (1980) called the cultivation effect. The effect of all this
exposure to the same messages produces what has been called cultivation, or
teaching of a common worldview, common roles and common values. (Gerbner,
Gross, Morgan & Signorieli, 1980, p.10).
According
to Gerbner, one of the most common findings from media and cultivation studies
is that increased television viewing is associated with more stereotypical
views, especially of gender (Allan & Scott, 2006). Gerbner, Gross, Morgan and
Signorieli (1980) argued that for heavy viewers, television virtually
monopolizes and subsumes other sources of information, ideas and consciousness.
Furthermore, the heavy viewers perceive the world as what is shown on
television (Gerbner, et al., 1980).
Based
on Gerbner’s findings, it can be argued that if on average an American
household watches over seven hours of television a day, this can lead to heavy
indoctrination of television stereotypes. People are likely to perceive the
world as what is depicted through television.
Hence,
the cultivation theory suggests that persuasion and learning can occur without
comprehension or deliberation. If people admit to themselves the power of advertising,
it becomes reasonable to argue that the stereotype, which works so well for the
advertisers, could be harming its audience. For just as this stereotype has the
power to convince people that the advertiser’s message about the product has
value, it also has the power to convince them that the stereotype itself has value
and that it is real and somehow right. In fact, previous research has suggested
advertising which stereotypes women can form unconscious and unthinking
attitudes about women and their abilities in society (Geis, Brown, Jennings
& Porter, 1984).
On
the other hand, researchers have also found that stereotypes can have a negative
effect on women themselves. Women may perceive the stereotype as a cultural
directive which in turn may lead them to put aside their own desires regarding
career and personal life and replace them with the ‘ideal’ presented through popular
culture including advertisements (Kim and Lowry 2005).
Feminists
and others concerned about the image of women in popular culture have long
placed much of the blame on advertising (Dominick & Rauch, 1972). Feminist
Germaine Greer berated the media for concentrating on advertisements for things
to squirt on women to stop them from being so offensive. (Dominick & Rauch,
1972, p. 259). Marijean Suelzle pointed out that commercials endlessly show
women helpless before a pile of soiled laundry until the male voice of
authority overrides hers to tell how brand X with its fast acting enzymes will
get her clothes cleaner than clean. (Courtney & Whipple, 1974, p.252).
However, even if advertising could portray women as self-confident and career oriented,
it would still be difficult to change the minds of all those who believe in the
stereotype.
Advertising
is a powerful tool for selling, but it can also be a powerful tool for attitude
change and behavior. Hence, the danger of advertising which stereotypes women
is that it can lead to forming notions that undermine women and their
abilities. It is against this background that the study seeks to find out the
portrayal of women selected adverts on NTA Ilorin.
1.2 Statement of the problem
Media
representations of minority groups particularly representations of women has
been a popular and contested area of research and an important issue in public
debate, (Viashali 2003). These issues in Nigeria continue to feature
prominently in state policy and initiatives that emphasize the point that many
of the issues that have faced women in the past require constant revisiting to
understand the current state of women in the society. Part of the reason for
this is because findings like Janus 1997, Strinati 2003, and Hassim 2006 consistently
over the years have found similar if not the same themes and patterns in
advertising content; that female characters are represented stereotypically. This
is the overall finding of studies that have also looked at how female
characters are portrayed in advertisements. There is a consistency in the
findings of the studies that confirm that female characters are not
realistically portrayed in the media at various times and across different
mediums. This is why it is important to replicate this research trend in
Ilorin, Kwara state by evaluating the state of women as depicted and portrayed
in the media using NTA Ilorin. This study therefore seeks to find out the
portrayal of female in selected adverts on NTA Ilorin in order to find out if similar
results will be gotten.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
1. To determine the extent to which women are
portrayed in Television Advertisements in Nigeria with respect to NTA Ilorin.
2.
To find out how women are portrayed in
Television advertisement in Nigeria with respect to NTA Ilorin.
3.
To find out the patterns and themes
portrayed in television advertisements in Nigeria with respect to NTA Ilorin.
4.
To find out the perception of Nigerians on
portrayal of women in television advertisement in Nigeria with respect to NTA
Ilorin.
1.4 Research Questions
1. To what extent are women portrayed in
television advertisement in Nigeria with respect to NTA Ilorin?
2.
How are women portrayed in television
advertisement in Nigeria with respect to NTA Ilorin?
3.
What patterns and themes are portrayed in
television advertisements in Nigeria with respect to NTA Ilorin?
4.
How do Nigerians perceive the portrayal of
women in television advertisement in Nigeria with respect to NTA Ilorin?
1.5 Significance of the Study
The result of the study will be of immense benefit to the advertising
agencies that use such tactics as indecent portrayal of women to realize the extent
to it can spell doom for any product, and how they can be cautious and take
proper measures in advertising messages.
Also, this research will
also be of benefit to the Advertising Practitioner’s Council of Nigeria (APCON)
which is the apex regulating body of advertising in Nigeria on how to censor
adverts portraying womanhood as objects; informs the body the status of gender
portrayals in Nigerian television advertisements and also help to increase the
dim images of women in Nigeria television advertisement in order to take
actions where necessary.
The study will also be of
benefits to Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and women activists who are
tirelessly on the move to ensure the emancipation of womanhood as the study
will give a sense of direction on how to tackle the problem faced by women.
Similarly, the study will
be of benefits to Association of Advertising practitioners of Nigeria (AAPN) on
the current tactics used by advertising agencies in selling their products
through the appeal of portraying women in a negative light. By so doing, they
can be able to censor the adverts before being aired.
Also to the Broadcasting
association of Nigeria, the study will bring their attention to how women are
sexually symbolized or decorative role in print and broadcast media. The study
will also be of benefits to media practitioners to proffer professional
solutions to the advertising agencies on the portrayal of women in mass media
advertisements.
This study is also of
benefits to future researchers who are interested in conducting research on
related topic as it will serve as reference material.
1.6
Scope of the Study
The scope of the study is limited to women
portrayal in television commercials and not any other content. The study is
also limited to NTA Ilorin and not any other television stations in Nigeria.
1.7
Definition of Terms
Portrayal:
This is used in the study to mean presentation of women in advertising, either
as mother, children and so on.
Advert: As used in the
context of the study is a form of communication design to promote the sale of
product service or a message on behalf of the institute, organization or
candidate.
Advertisers:
This means, in this study a person or company that advertises or make awareness
of a product.
Evaluation:
In the context of this study evaluation is the appraisal of something to
determine its worth or fitness.
Female: This is use here
to mean someone of feminine sex or gender that attracts attention. Gender: This
refers in this study to mean the biological sex of an individual either male or
female.
Female gender:
This herein means someone who is showing the characteristic traditionally
associated with been female.
APCON: In the context of
this study APCON is an Acronym for Advertising Practitioner’s Council of
Nigeria.
NTA: as used here is the
Nigerian Television Authority
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