For him, for her: The effects of gender stereotypes in advertising on gift giving behaviour and social attitudes

Gift exchanges carry powerful symbolism. Gift value and selection can reinforce or alter relational ties and complex power relationship dynamics between the exchange partners. Relational dependencies or domination can evolve out of felt obligations based on a need for reciprocity and inherent status imbalances. This proposal explores the impact of negative female stereotyping in ads, giver gender and perceived product gender and type on people's preferences for gender appropriate gifts. It also looks at the prevalence of gender stereotyped attitudes and the impact of exposure to gender stereotyped stimuli on those attitudes. It is expected, based on an understanding of prevailing sex-role stereotypes, that negative stereotype ads will significantly impact stereotype congruent choices. The results suggest that male givers are more inclined toward gender stereotyping in gift selection than females, and gender stereotyped ads increase the likelihood of selecting hedonic gifts for male recipients.