Mapping Audience Perception Towards Counter-stereotype Gender Roles Portrayal in Contemporary Indian Advertising

Portrayals of gender roles in advertisements attract scholars across the globe. The paradigm shift in gender role portrayals, from the stereotyped to counter-stereotyped, has given opportunity to scholars to explore new perspectives in contemporary role portrayal scenarios. Previously, Indian commercials portrayed gender roles in a stereotyped manner. To be specific, a woman must indulge in household chores and a man is designated as a bread earner. The contemporary societal situation demands a change in gender role portrayals in media platforms as women are joining the workforce in large numbers. Recent Indian commercials have celebrated the change in their creation with the counter-stereotype occupational role portrayals. The present study aims to explore the perception of men and women towards the counter-stereotyped occupational role portrayals in contemporary advertisements. Also, the perception difference has been highlighted in the study. The responses of central university students have been recorded in this regard. Exploratory factor analysis has generated three major factors which contribute to perception building. The perception difference between respondents has highlighted that gender has a major contribution to forming perceptions towards contemporary gender role portrayals in recent Indian commercials. The result has indicated that audiences have a positive outlook on counter-stereotyped commercials.