Gender stereotypes often shape individuals' perceptions, expectations, and behaviors from an early age, influencing both personal identities and social interactions. While some progress has been made in challenging these traditional views, gender stereotypes remain pervasive, perpetuated through media, advertising, and cultural norms.

So far, we have examined gender-stereotypical representations in Italian television commercials targeting children and adults. We found that more women than men appear in subservient and decorative roles, and men have more important roles and a greater range of roles to fulfill. As for children, our results indicate that advertisements aimed at girls contain more prosocial verbs and are more likely to take place in the domestic setting.

Furthermore, we have investigated gender stereotypes within the world of sports in Italy, specifically aiming to develop a scale to measure the endorsement of gender-based beliefs within the Italian soccer culture.

This line of research helps uncover how gender norms are reproduced in everyday contexts, from children's ads to popular sports. These insights can be used to promote more balanced media portrayals, raise awareness among content creators, and support initiatives that challenge gender bias in early socialization and in male-dominated environments like soccer.