Pluralist gender-role expectations in health advertising in the Philippines. Are advertising agencies ‘on-message’?

Gender role representations in advertising are influential in society because they transmit stereotypes and can present behavioural norms for male and females. Due to the significance of presumed societal and sales impact, studies have looked at gender roles in many western countries but few have investigated the Asia Pacific. This paper investigates gender expectations through the operation of cultural and religious themes in HPV television advertising in a non-caucasian country. Familiar feminine gender-role dimensions in Philippine culture such as modesty, morality, and sexual purity are examined in an effort to determine whether these expectations of women have moved on with the emergence of a more permissive society. A review of the recent literature is undertaken to identify the role of advertising in shaping and influencing cultural norms. Findings show the role of housewife and mother stemming from the religiosity that permeates Filipino society dominate the advertising message, leading to possible confusion for the recipients seeking protection from HPV. The paper suggests that there is currently a lag in the adoption of shifting cultural mores within advertising and highlights the need to recognise these plural gender-roles in advertising management in the Philippines.