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DEBATE: Will the new ban on stereotypes in advertising help improve gender equality?

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Will the new ban on stereotypes in advertising help improve gender equality?

Christi Tronetti, marketing director at creative agency isobel, says YES.

There is an unconscious gender bias in advertising that needed to be addressed. Do we really need to see men struggling to change nappies in this day and age? Or women beaming as they bring a Sunday roast to the table? Or a girl aspiring to be a ballerina, while a boy dreams of a life in engineering? So far, so 1950s.

There is a serious issue here. Advertising is a powerful thing – it can shape and influence culture. What we absorb affects how we see things.

And why wouldn’t we want to see our culture through the prism of gender equality? Why wouldn’t we want women and girls and men and boys alike to feel that life’s opportunities are open to all?

The new regulations banning stereotypes should mean that advertising (traditionally a male-dominated industry) will better reflect the changes that are already happening in society. They will support the work that many brands have already started. The industry has a big responsibility, and we’re starting to recognise that.

Chloe Westley, campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, says NO.

I don’t need to be protected by regulators from advertisements which depict women as caring mothers. In fact, I’d encourage more of them.

In 2018, western women have more freedom than we have ever had before. We are free to be educated, to pursue a fulfilling career, to make a lot of money – and yes, to raise a family.

In the pursuit of “equality”, modern feminism, as epitomised by this new advert ban, has sought to praise certain pursuits over others, and to demonise motherhood and femininity. But I don’t believe that women’s choices should be sacrificed on the altar of gender equality.

Motherhood should be celebrated – as should fatherhood. Playful depictions of family life in TV adverts are a reflection of our lived experiences. I’m not offended or “harmed” by them, nor are my male friends. Claiming that we can’t handle the dangers of stereotypes is downright condescending.

We don’t live in a gender-neutral society. Men and women are different – and that’s okay.