The Past And Future Of Gender Research In Marketing, And Its Relevance To Contemporary Societies
Researchers from Kedge Business School, University College Dublin, the University of Bath and the University of Texas at Austin have published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines how researchers socialize, specifically their commitment to certain values and research methods. – influences the types and results of gender studies published in leading marketing journals.
The authors of the study are Lisa Peñalosa, Andrea Pratero, Pierre McDonagh and Katherine Pounders.
Global patterns of love, work, parenting and caring for the elderly, as well as major social movements calling for equality in the workplace and a positive portrayal of gender in the media, have changed traditional ideas about gender roles. The two most prominent recent examples of gender expression are the legalization of same-sex marriage and the freedom to change sex in a growing number of countries.
These social changes mean that many consumers are changing their attitudes towards style, social interaction and entertainment. As a result, companies have been forced to rethink their strategies and marketers must take into account the growing range of gender identities and practices. For example, it is common to see advertisements showing working mothers supported by stay-at-home fathers, men using detergents and cosmetics, and retailers offering a gender-neutral range of products.
As Peñalosa explains: “Our international team reviewed academic articles on gender published in leading marketing journals over the past 30 years. It also includes studies on gender roles, such as relationships between husband and wife, mother and father, daughter and son, and studies dominated by traditional ideas of what it means to be a man or a woman."
“Less than 10% of the work is devoted to the social construction of gender experience and identity in examples such as stay-at-home parents and the empowerment of women to participate in home improvement activities. There is little research on sexuality, such as research on the consumer practices of LGBTQIA+ consumers,” Prathera continues.
Even fewer articles examine gender injustice and violence (for example, the portrayal of violence against women in advertising and issues of equality, diversity and inclusion). The smallest category of research examines how products and brands are "gendered" (that is, how marketers and consumers attribute masculine and feminine characteristics to products and brands).
The study concludes that socialization and engagement with research values and methods is the reason why much of this research does not reflect contemporary society or marketing practices.
Differences and similarities
"Our analysis shows that quantitative research methodologies dominate published research on gender and that the emphasis on differences completely obscures similarities in research on gender resource imbalances in societies," says McDonagh.
In addition, the results show that most quantitative gender studies are based on convenience samples, and almost half of the convenience samples are university students. Given that students have a higher level of education and less life experience than the general adult population, researchers question the representativeness and generalizability of student research in creating knowledge about gender in marketing and society.
"We encourage marketers to ensure that their research methodologies include traditional and non-traditional, gender and non-binary gender positions and roles to reflect today's society," says Panders.
The researchers encourage scholars and practitioners to consider the ethical implications of their findings for gender identity and marketing strategies. Such work could include the social impact of hiring retail workers with a particular "look" or body type, which would be a step forward in ensuring that research published in leading marketing journals is consistent with current gender expressions.
Lessons for Stakeholders
- For researchers: describe the similarities between the sexes and the differences between the sexes; Don't just focus on the differences between men and women.
- For magazine publishers: Encourage diversified and innovative offerings.
- For Judges: Require timely submission deadlines for gender-related submissions.
- For educators: include gender issues in consumer behavior and marketing lessons and write case studies related to gender and gender for these lessons.
- For academic institutions: create incentives for gender research and faculty-related innovation.
- For business: updating thought and practice to reflect the evolution of gender and gender relations in society.
Overall, improving gender research to be more diverse and inclusive, and to show the impact of gender, will make the results more relevant to industry and society and lead to market research for a better world.
For more information: Lisa Peñaloza et al., EXPRESS: The Past and Future of Gender Studies in Marketing: Value-Based Paradigms, Attitudes, and Commitments, Journal of Marketing (2023). DOI: 10.1177/00222429231154532
Citation : The past and future of gender studies in marketing and its relevance to contemporary society (April 4, 2023). Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://phys.org/news/2023-04-future-gender-relationship-contemporary. - companies.html
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