Third International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

Parenting and stereotypical gendered roles are evolving in society today as dual income families become the norm, single parent households are on the rise, and family household activities become redistributed. This inquiry, supported by academic and industry research, as well as original primary research challenges whether contemporary brands are keeping pace with these evolving gendered parenting roles. A content analysis of 637+ high profile advertisements evaluates recent branded messages in terms of portrayals of father figures, familial activities evidenced, and parent-child gendered relationships. A growing number of these high-profile branded messages align with documented societal shifts, but others remain rooted in stereotypical depictions of fathers as distant authority figures and/or buffoonish bumbling sidekicks. This contemporary branded media investigation concludes with recommendations for both next steps in this research inquiry and preliminary suggestions for more consistently responsible representations of contemporary fathers in today’s evolving popular culture.