Advertising our gender bias

A study of the gender roles in advertisements in India has revealed, expectedly, that they closely reflect the deep biases that are found in society as such. The study was done by UNICEF and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and it analysed the top 1,000 most viewed ads in India in 2019 on television and on YouTube. Though there have been perceptions about gender bias and scattered studies of representation and attitudes in the media, this is the first major attempt to make a systematic analysis of gender representation in ads in the country. The study shows that girls and women are well-represented as characters to the extent of 49.6 per cent, and they take up 59.7 per cent of the screen time and 56.3 per cent of the speaking time. But their roles confirm entrenched stereotypes, and they mostly sell domestic and beauty products to female consumers. Their beauty and charm are used to make the products attractive.

Women are less likely to be seen as working women in paid jobs, and those in high places are extremely rare. They are usually seen in the kitchen, doing domestic chores and recommending products which are usually used by women. They are also shown as responsible for childcare and for shopping but are less likely to be seen in public spaces. Most often, women are shown as beautiful and sometimes scantily dressed. Female characters are nine times more likely to be shown as attractive, six times more likely to seen in revealing clothing and five times more likely to be sexually objectified than male characters. They are not shown as decision-makers outside their homes. Men are also represented true to the stereotypes about them, having power and wealth and dominating.

Advertisements, like art and literature, reflect the biases, prejudices and attitudes in society. But they don’t take the critical view that art and literature sometimes take. Ads, in fact, make use of gender stereotypes to sell things and to convey commercial messages. Children who watch these advertisements are likely to imbibe these messages and that influences their attitudes in later life. Ideas about family, gender roles and man-woman relationships are deeply influenced by these narratives. Therefore, dismantling the stereotypes and removing the biases in advertisements is important in a society that aspires to gender equality. When women are as good as men in every respect, it is wrong to project only their traditional roles in society. The study should serve as a guide to ad-makers who should critically examine the messages being conveyed by their work. Since ads and social perceptions are mutually dependent and reinforcing, there is also the need for change on both sides.