Exploring Gender Bias in Spanish Children's Television Advertising

Spanish researchers analyzing commercials for children's toys aired on national television in Spain for three years, report a strong dissemination of sexist messages.

Although many of the nearly 600 children's toy commercials aired between 2009 and 2011 delivered messages such as fun, education, solidarity and individualism that can be alligned to both sexes, the researchers found it was more frequent to see sexist roles idealized in messages intended for children.

In advertisements directed towards boys, the researchers observed high frequencies of messages of competitive values, individualism, power and strength, and commercials for girls' toys containing more messages linked to beauty and motherhood.

Toys such as cars and action figures were generally marketed to boys, and dolls and accessories were commonly marked to girls in the commercials, the researchers said.

The study's authors state that such gender biased marketing is not in accordance with some codes for public broadcasting in Spain, such as the Self-regulatory code for Advertising Toys to Children and the Self-regulatory Code for Television Content and Children, and the General Laws on Audiovisual Communication and Publicity.

"These rules state that sexism must be avoided and one gender must not be valued above another, or show a toy linked to one in particular," said Esther Martínez, researcher at the Rey Juan Carlos University and one of the authors of the study, which is published in the Spanish-language journal Comunicar.

Martínez and her colleagues also report evidence of gender segregation in voice-over acting in the toy commercials.

"Female voices predominated in adverts where girls appear, and male voices where only boys appear and also when both genders are shown". The researchers also not that adult figures in advertisements "only appear for board games and electronic toys, representing the father's role. However, a father is rarely shown playing action games."

Martínez points out that television advertisements are a reflection of society and popular culture at large.

"Just because a boy is seen in a doll advert will not make the boys watching identify with it," she said.

Some toy manufactures are seeking to redefine the gender roles children are exposed to in childhood, such as science and math being topics reserved for males. US-based Goldiebox, for example, has a line of toys designed for girls who are "future engineers."