Eureka! Institutional Repository

This study examines the use of gender in television commercials for financial services in India. Sixty-three taped television commercials were content analyzed across four variables – gender of voice-over, gender of dominant product user, gender of dominant character and gender of decision-maker. Two independent coders of different gender coded the commercials. The reliability of coding was established with the help of Perreault and Leigh’s Reliability Index. Gender preference for the male gender was found to exist in all the four variables examined. It is thus recommended that when attempting self-regulation in advertising, gender bias is an important factor to be considered by advertisers and corporate houses. This can be instrumental in serving desirable social and commercial purposes.