Graduate Program

Family and Consumer Studies

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Semester of Degree Completion

2007

Thesis Director

Kathleen O'Rourke

Thesis Committee Member

Jeanne Snyder

Thesis Committee Member

Lucy Campanis

Abstract

The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to examine images in magazine advertisements and the impact of these images on aggressive attitudes and beliefs towards women. The three research objectives were: 1) to explore the appeal of the portrayals of women in magazine advertisements to males and females, 2) to examind the attitudes and acceptances of violence, gender-roles, and gender stereotypes of the participants after viewing the different portrayals, and 3) to compare the results of males and females to explore the differences in aggression between genders. The participants consisted of 71 college males and females from a Midwestern university. Data were collected using a revised edition of Burt's (1980) Sexual Attitude Survey, which was administered by the researcher in 6 university classrooms. The survey included 4 subscales of the Sexual Attitude Survey: Sex-Role Stereotypes, Adversarial Sexual Beliefs, Acceptance of Interpersonal Violence, and Rape Myth Acceptance. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and t-tests. Results indicated a significant relationship between viewing magazine advertisements and the acceptance of negative gender-role attitudes and beliefs. Males and females who viewed male-dominated images were more accepting of sex-role stereotypes, adversarial sexual beliefs, interpersonal violence, and rape myths than those who viewed gender-equal or female-dominated images. Males were also more accepting of these negative attitudes and beliefs than females regardless of which image category was viewed.

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