Does Media Mirror Reality? A Content Analysis of Family Portrayal in Children's Advertising and Programming

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the extent to which the portrayal of family in children's advertising and programming reflects changes in family structure in the U.S. Just as realistic representations of gender roles in advertising and the media have slowly become more common as gender roles have changed in society, so too should realistic representations of families become more mainstream in advertising and the media as the definition of family changes in society. The issue is especially important in the realm of children's advertising given children’s extensive television viewing. Children’s high exposure to media and advertising exposes them to stereotyped gender roles, which can influence their attitudes toward and perceptions of gender, so it is reasonable to suppose that media exposure may impact children’s perceptions of family definition, identity, and roles. This study seeks to understand how family is portrayed through two content analyses of advertising and programming targeted to children.