US food company Mondelez and German carmaker Volkswagen have become the first to have their television adverts banned, under new legislation by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
A commercial for Philadelphia that showed two dads leaving a baby on a conveyor belt after getting distracted by cream cheese received some 128 complaints from viewers who said the ad perpetuated stereotypes of men as incompetent care-givers.
Volkswagen’s eGolf car advert depicted men engaging in adventurous activities in contrast to a woman in a care-giving role.
The ASA deemed both commercials to be in breach of the new rules that came into effect on 14th June, stating that ads “must not include gender stereotypes that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence”.
It did not uphold five complaints about a television ad for Nestle’s Buxton bottled water featuring a female ballet dancer, a male drummer and a male rower.
Natalie Collins, author of ‘Out of Control’ – a book on domestic abuse and the harm of gender stereotyping within the church – told Premier’s News Hour this is a positive move.
She said this decision doesn’t mean traditional roles should not be promoted, but that care needs to be taken when they are.
“It’s not about not showing those people in those roles. It’s about when it could cause offence. So, when it’s presumed that men are incompetent at…
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