A groundbreaking study from one of our PhD student reveals that the music and soundscapes used in toy commercials are reinforcing rigid gender norms, shaping the way children perceive masculinity and femininity.
The research uncovers how gender stereotypes are not only conveyed through visuals and language but are also deeply embedded in the sound and music used in advertisements targeted at children.
For more than 40 years, research has shown how gender polarisation in children’s TV advertising permeates multiple facets of production, including camera work, settings, colours, and acting roles. However, this new study published in PLOS ONE, led by PhD student Luca Marinelli under the supervision of Dr Charalampos Saitis in Centre for Digital Music (Queen Mary), in collaboration with Professor Petra Lucht from the Center for Interdisciplinary Women’s and Gender Studies (TU Berlin), takes a fresh look at an often-overlooked element: music.
By analysing a large sample of toy commercials aired in the UK, the researchers identified clear distinctions in the musical styles used in advertisements targeting boys and girls. In commercials aimed at boys, the soundtracks tended to be louder, more abrasive, and distorted, reinforcing notions of masculinity through harsher soundscapes. In contrast, ads targeting girls featured softer, more harmonious music, reinforcing traditional associations with femininity. “These synergistic design choices are not accidental; they are deliberately in line with entrenched gender norms,” says Marinelli.
A particularly thought-provoking concept introduced in the study is that of “music-primed gender schemas” a psychological framework through which music evokes gendered meanings and expectations. Marinelli explains: “These schemas merge aesthetic and gendered meanings, priming listeners to associate certain sounds with masculinity or femininity. In the context of advertising, this can reinforce narrow conceptions of gender roles, which, in turn, shape children’s perceptions of what is ‘appropriate’ for boys and girls.”
The study not only opens new avenues for research but also calls for more robust and informed policies to ensure that children are not exposed to limiting stereotypes at such formative stages of their development.
For those interested in exploring the data further, the research team has created two interactive maps that allow users to see the toy commercials and the music analysis firsthand: