A Quantitative Content Analysis of Doyle's Five Tenets of Masculinity In

1 What Makes a Man? A Quantitative Content Analysis of Doyle’s Five Tenets of Masculinity in Prime-Time Television Commercials A thesis submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Communication of the College of Arts and Sciences by Steve Ingham B.A. Saginaw Valley State University May 2015 Committee Chair: Nancy Jennings PhD 2 Abstract This research will analyze the efficacy of Doyle’s Five Tenets of Masculinity in prime-time television commercials. There are many tenets of masculinity, of which Doyle highlights five. Through this quantitative content analysis I will analyze the portrayals of men and how they embody Doyle’s Five Tenets of Masculinity. 3 4 Acknowledgments I want to thank my adviser, Dr. Nancy Jennings, and my committee, Drs. Melissa Lewis Hobart and John Lynch, for being patient and supportive throughout this writing process. I would like to thank Boluwatife Oriowo for being so helpful and patient as we coded these commercials. Finally, I would like to thank my fellow students for being supportive throughout this process. 5 Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction………………..……………………………………………….…….…7 Chapter 2: Literature Review………..…………….…………..………...………….…………..9 Chapter 3: Methods……………..…………………….…………………………….…………22 Chapter 4: Results…………………………………….……………….………………....……34 Chapter 5: Discussion, Limitations and Future Research, Implications….….………………..46 References…………………………………………………………………..…………………53 Appendix: Codebook……………………………..……….………………..………………….62 6 List of Tables Table 1: Intercoder Reliability of Sample……………………………………………………32 Table 2: Frequency of Characters.....…………………………….….……………………….35 Table 3: Frequency of Sex(es) of Characters…………………………………..…………….36 Table 4: Frequency of Age………………………………………….………………………..37 Table 5: Frequency of Race………………………...………………………………………..38 Table 6: Frequency of Variables for “Don’t be Feminine” Tenet…………………………...39 Table 7: Frequency of Variables for “Be Successful” Tenet…………………………….…..41 Table 8: Frequency of Variables for “Be Aggressive” Tenet………………………………..42 Table 9: Frequency of Variables for “Be Sexual” Tenet…………………………………….44 7 Chapter 1: Introduction Gender portrayals and representations in the media have been studied for many years (Allan & Coltrane, 1996; Bartsch et al., 2000; Collins, 2011; Cunningham et al., 2004; Emeksiz, 2013). There have been extensive studies on how representations of women in television and other media impacts real women’s perceptions of themselves and others (Butsch, 2003; Collins, 2011; Emeksiz, 2013). However, there has been limited research on men on television. This study will further our understanding of how masculinity is portrayed in television, specifically television commercials. This study will contribute to the field by the depiction of masculinity through the lens of a model new to media studies: J. A. Doyle’s Five Tenets of Masculinity Model (1995). In order to understand how Doyle’s tenets impact masculinity, I will first discuss the importance of the Feminist movement. The Feminist Movement has raised awareness and influenced how we understand portrayals of women. In the 1950s television commercials focused on women needing cleaning and childcare products (Allan & Coltrane, 1996). Today, more women are shown in professional roles, changing how businesses advertise their products to men and women alike. While there has been a focus on the depiction of women in the media (Gottschalk & Smith, 2013; North, 2016; Signorielli, 2001), what has received less attention has been the portrayal of men and masculinity. In the late 1970s, women were shown less often in television commercials than men (Gerbner & Signorielli, 1979). In 2011, the same held true. “…it is noteworthy that the disparity in portrayals of males and females has persisted over decades, during which the rules of women in society have broadly expanded” (Collins, 2011, p. 292). While women have been studied extensively in television commercials, there is a dearth of research on the portrayals of men. What little research that has been done finds that men are still 8 being portrayed, often, as being unable or unwilling to take care of the house and the children (Butsch, 2003; Hanke, 1998). Moreover, of those commercials that show men as the primary caretaker, these depictions are limited to commercials showing a single father (Kaufman, 1999). This research will further our understanding of how men are portrayed in television commercials. I will use Doyle’s five tenets of masculinity to understand how masculinity is portrayed in television commercials in prime-time television on broadcast channels. Doyle’s tenets are (1) don’t be feminine, (2) be successful, (3) be self-reliant, (4) be sexual [wanting sex, having sex, talking about sex] and (5) be aggressive. These tenets will inform my hypotheses. There has been research conducted on all five of these tenets, although no research has combined all of them in one comprehensive study. Moreover, Doyle’s tenets have not been used as applied to media content. Therefore, this research will add to the field and serve as the root of a line of research I will continue to pursue. I will review relevant literature in chapter 2. Specifically, I will discuss Cultivation Theory, Social Learning Theory, research on advertising and television, and research on masculinity. I will then discuss my methods in chapter 3. I will present the results from my quantitative content analysis in chapter 4. I will then discuss the results, some limitations and implications of my study. I will finish with the conclusion drawn from this analysis. 9 Chapter 2: Literature Review Mass media have been a major focus of research in communication. While a range of studies have examined masculinity, television, and advertisements, I have not identified any specific study in Communication deploying Five Tenets, and then review studies of advertising and television commercials as they relate to depictions of masculinity. After reviewing the literature and identifying from that the justification for my project, this chapter will close with the hypotheses for this thesis. Masculinity Masculinity has been defined in a variety of ways, but perhaps its most consistently assigned attribute is hegemony or power (Ahmed & Wahab, 2014; Anderson, 2002; Connell, 1987, 1995, 2000; Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005; Smith et al., 2010; Gramsci, 1971; Herrett-Skjellum & Allen, 1996). Hegemonic masculinity is the idea that the basic tenets of masculinity inform the rules, norms and values of society (Connell, 1987, 1995, 2000). Hegemonic masculinity is prevalent in our society. When a man and a woman go out on a date, it is traditionally and culturally expected for the man to pick up the check, regardless of how large his income. A man who cannot pay for the check is seen as less than masculine by the woman, but also by other men nearby. A man who makes more money and has more money to spend is seen as more masculine than a man who cannot pay for the check. Physical characteristics have been linked to masculinity, particularly in the realm of sports (Anderson, 2002; Cunningham & Sartore, 2008; Messner, 1989). Strength, size, and physical power play an integral role in the success of an athlete (Connell, 1987; Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005; Messner, 1989). Athletes who are bigger and stronger are more masculine than weak athletes (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005). In Australia, an Iron Man is someone who 10 wins the Iron Man Competition, an event including swimming, biking and running along Australia’s coast. The “Iron Man” epitomizes masculinity because of his physical dominance over other athletes (Connell, 1987). Just as physical characteristics contribute to the definition of masculinity in sports, non- physical characteristics shape the social construction of masculinity, particularly for those who do not have physical prowess, (Connell, 2000). Similarly, non-physical characteristics can help a man who is not physically imposing maintain their masculinity. Non-physical characteristics describe the inner thoughts and capabilities of a person. Courage, toughness, autonomy, aggression (Donaldson, 1993); prestige and honor (Messner, 1989); political, sexual, monetary, and social advantage (Connell, 2000) have been used to explain how one’s non-physical characteristics can portray masculinity. Non-physical characteristics become particularly important in defining masculinity within environments where men encounter other men (Anderson, 2002; Osborne & Wagner, 2007; Stombler, Wharton, & Yeung, 2006). In his research on homosexual/heterosexual relations in the workplace, portrayals of masculinity by those who identify has homosexual impact others who identify as heterosexual. How a man communicates courage, determination, intelligence, honor, and toughness can go far in determining whether one is masculine within said environment. In their research, R. W. Connell explains that heterosexual members of a board of directors are more willing to accept a homosexual member if the homosexual member stays within the boundaries of a “normal” member (Connell, 1987). If the homosexual male member sticks to the prescribed behaviors of a heterosexual male member, such as intelligence, proper dress for their gender, determination, toughness, and business savvy, then the heterosexual male members will not discriminate against the homosexual male member. If the homosexual male member 11 blatantly

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