Consumer Perception of Gender-Neutral and Gender-Stereotyped Advertising

The work examines the similarities and differences in consumer perception of gender-neutral and gender-stereotypical advertising. Feminist critics drew attention to the problem of gender stereotypes in the 1970s, but at the moment gender stereotyped advertising communication still prevails. The purpose of this work was to consider the effectiveness of using gender-neutral communications for business in terms of consumer perception. Millennials were chosen as an empirical object, since existing studies confirm changes in the perception of gender and gender identity, as well as the effectiveness of gender-neutral communications for representatives of this generation. Through the literature review, we examined the transformation in the social construction of gender and gender stereotypes, as well as their representation in advertising. We explored previous studies to formulate meaningful hypotheses, operationalize the concepts we use, as well as empirical indicators to measure consumer perception. The practical part consists of three stages: at the first stage, we classify advertising by the presence of gender stereotypes in it. Next, we conducted a series of in-depth interviews, the purpose of which was to identify stimulus that informants perceive as gender-stereotypical/gender-neutral. At the third stage through an experimental study, we identified the influence of gender stereotypes on judgments, as well as respondents' feelings regarding advertising, considered differences depending on gender identity, as well as attitudes towards gender stereotypes.