The UK Code of Broadcast Advertising (BCAP Code) requires that:
“Advertising must not include gender stereotypes that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence” (rule 4.14).
Guidance from the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) gives a number of examples of ads which are likely to fall foul of this rule, such as an ad that shows a man with his feet up and family members creating mess around a home while a woman is solely responsible for cleaning up the mess. A recent ASA ruling (Hoover Ltd.) shows how one corporation got it right and avoided straying into harmful stereotyping in the context of domestic chores.
The ASA received two complaints regarding a TV ad for a washing machine and a related app, alleging that the ad perpetuated a harmful gender stereotype by suggesting that men were less capable and knowledgeable about doing laundry than women. The commercial featured a man doing laundry. He picked out a jumper from the laundry basket as a woman brought him a mobile phone. The woman then held the jumper up while the man used the app to take a picture of it and its label. He then put the jumper into the washing machine. As he was about to add the laundry detergent to the machine, he looked up to the woman who nodded to him.
Hoover successfully argued that the ad showed a couple working equally as a team while also showing the features of the app and the washing machine, to improve efficiency while doing laundry at home. They argued that any person, in this case a man but the gender was not relevant, when operating a new technology would look for guidance. The woman was following the guidance of the app and therefore was the person who would be sought out for confirmation of steps. In Hoover’s view, this would have still applied if both persons in the ad were of the same gender.
Because the man was seen actively participating in the domestic task the ASA “…did not consider that it implied he was not capable or knowledgeable or depicted him as failing to achieve the tasks because of his gender. Therefore, [the ASA] did not consider that the ad perpetuated harmful gender stereotypes and …concluded that it did not breach the Code.”
The ruling offers some useful guidance on how to get the balance right to avoid perpetuating gender stereotypes. Note that the ASA has elsewhere emphasised that it is not “inherently problematic” for ads to feature people with stereotypical characteristics or undertaking stereotypical roles, but they are likely to be problematic if they suggest that these stereotypical roles or characteristics are: always uniquely associated with one gender; the only options available to one gender; or never carried out or displayed by another gender. (https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/harm-and-offence-gender-stereotypes.html#RC)
Comments