Marketing Cultural Stereotypes – Challenges to Women Entrepreneurs

Abstract

Given the enduring sexism in mass media and advertising, the challenges of culture-based and gender-based stereotypes in marketing and advertising under patriarchy, to women entrepreneurs are discussed in this paper. Female depiction and cultural stereotypes in advertising can affect both judgments and buying behaviour of consumers. Patriarchal advertisements make perceivers to categorize women as sexual objects and this along with cultural stereotypes in advertising distorts consumers’ behavior in India, in recent times. These trends pose challenges to women entrepreneurs, especially in fashion industry.