UA Little Rock Student Awarded SURF Grant for Comparative Study on Gender Portrayal in Advertisements
Susan McClain, a senior sociology major at UA Little Rock, has been honored with a prestigious grant from the Student Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) awarded by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE) for her comparative research study of gender objectification in print advertisements. McClain, reflecting on her experience upon learning of her grant award, expressed excitement and surprise.
“When I found out that I had won, I was excited and surprised,” reflected McClain. “Receiving this grant will allow me to do the research and observe for myself what the results are instead of relying on others’ research.”
Her enrollment in the summer course “Women in a Changing Society” ignited McClain’s interest in gender representation in print advertisements. Afterward, McClain continued her interest in this research topic in her “Research Methods” course.
McClain’s research examines the ways in which gender roles and stereotypes are perpetuated in contemporary advertising. In her research she incorporates an intersectional approach using past studies. Despite initially having no interest in the topic, McClain’s research left her captivated.
“The more research I conducted, the more interested I became in this topic,” recalled McClain.
While exploring early studies on this topic, McClain began to unravel the impact of gender portrayal in advertisements on her own development during some of her most formative years.
“The ‘aha’ moment for me was understanding how the ads influenced who I was, who I should be, and told me what my role in society was,” explained McClain. “I noted that some of the first studies done on this topic were in the 70s and the 80s, while I was a young woman.”
McClain reflected on the historical landscape of the 70s and 80s, emphasizing the limited autonomy that women had. She noted the hurdles that women faced during that era, such as requiring a man’s signature on decisions like obtaining loans or accessing birth control, as well as experiencing considerable disparities in health insurance compared to men. Amidst these issues, advertisements continued to reinforce societal values of beauty, domesticity, and subservience in women.
“Advertisements during that time did not address women’s issues but continued to reinforce the notion that a woman’s place was in the home, caring for children, and fulfilling her man’s needs,” McClain said. “The message to women was that they were to be beautiful, sexy and even an object to meet a man’s needs.”
Through her research, McClain hopes to observe that in the past five decades there has been a shift toward a more positive, holistic approach to portraying women.
“I hope that the results reveal that the stereotyped messages are more positive regarding women, less sexual, and less objectified than 50 years ago,” said McClain.
During her time working on this project, McClain has discovered a passion for research, and going forward, McClain would like to continue to research similar topics. She enjoys finding patterns and asking questions that could inspire future research. After receiving her bachelor’s in sociology, McClain plans to pursue both her master’s degree and doctorate in sociology.
