Gender, advertising and the media

In contemporary society advertisements appear to be everywhere - radio, television, magazines, on the street (billboards). From experience, it is possible to read an informative article in a magazine, only to realise, half-way through, that the word 'advertisement' appears at the top of the page in very small print.

Communications scholars have said that advertising permeates society, influencing everyone's lives; advertisements are not "simply a transparent vehicle for a message behind it" (Williamson 1978:17).

Further to this, advertising does not just sell a product. Advertisements are rarely aimed at everybody; instead they have specific target audiences, like age, social status, economic status or gender. Torben Vestergarrd and Kim Schroder (1985) suggest that people filter their impression to retrieve the messages relevant to them.

Furthermore, regarding gender, in most cases they seem to represent different images of men and women that seem to reinforce gender stereotypes in society.

Portrayal of men and women in TV adverts

Gender representation on the smallest scale has always been important for one to understand what it means to be male or female. So, to look at it in terms of advertising (possibly considered the most powerful and influential medium in this increasingly commercial society) is to look at it with a more serious eye.

From the images inflicted upon us in these patriarchal mass media, it is assumed that we have been encouraged to mould ourselves into a set ideal. For a woman it means having beauty, elegance, passivity and good domestic ability and for a man it means being tough, rough 'n' ready, competitive and business-minded.

Sitting in the 21st century however, it would seem to many that these ideals are no longer essential for gaining acceptance into society although they may still prevail.

Today, women are frequently self-reliant and career-focused, whereas many men "feel they have the right to self-expression and self-indulgence, to love and be loved" (Barthel 1992:148). The new man and new woman might be present in today's society but to what extent are television advertisements an accurate account of this new lifestyle?

The household product advertisement

Over the past decade, more and more women have either been ditching housework altogether, or combining it with a career. Today, women with pre-school children are increasingly taking up full or part-time employment and to complement this, more and more male homemakers are emerging.

Given these facts, then, why is it that women still stand as the predominant feature in household product commercials? According to Dow (1995:200), "one of the reasons why television is resistant to the messages of feminism is that they (sponsors) view those messages as conflicting with woman's desire to consume." Advertisers do not want to present a liberated woman because this new woman does not want and will not buy their products.

Another reason for this could be the fact that men dominate the workplace. Three per cent of directors in general are women (Paten, March 12, 2002). The advertising industry itself has a particularly high male to female ratio. Even with the bigger freedom of choice given to women nowadays, we are still living to a certain extent in a patriarchal society which looks through the male gaze.

Women are still portrayed as being dependent on men. Voice-overs represent authority and it has been reported that over 94% of voice-overs are male (Chandler, 1998). The use of a female voice indicates that women are associated with knowledge and intelligence.

Yet, female voices are really only used for advertising household products - 'women's products', advertisements which encourage "flattery to hail women as experts well versed in the finer points of household management" (Macdonald 1995:78).

Some cleaning product advertisements, however, attempt to break the housewife stereotype by including men. Generally, the man is portrayed as being inexperienced. Some adverts depict the woman to be in control simply because she knows better than the man. It also suggests, that the product that is easy and quick to use is allowing her to get the job done quickly and go off to work, bearing in mind that it probably is a part-time job if she has to make time for the home too.

Either way, these adverts depict the woman as the best person to be in the home and therefore the cleaning terrain should still belong to her.

The beauty advertisement

Women have always been very beauty conscious about their appearances and advertisers have exploited this by bombarding them with ways in which to 'improve themselves'. In recent times, however, the introduction of Western terminology, like 'independence' and 'intelligence' in association with women, has helped their liberation.

Adverts have stretched the meaning of intelligence to encompass impressions of elegance and splendour. This has been done so women will be conned into believing that intelligence comes through clothes rather than mental study.

Pressure on women to look good is not new but it is only really in the last decade that men too have started to feel pressurized into enhancing their natural looks.

Advertising has encouraged a feminisation of culture putting all potential consumers in the classic role of the female: obedient and submissive. If women's advertisements cry "Buy this product and he will notice you", men's advertisements similarly promise that female attention will follow immediately upon purchase. (Barthel 1992:148)

Alternative assessment of women and media

The Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) adopted by UN member states in 1995 outlines the issues around women and media and points to key strategies and actions that address media concerns of women.

While the BPfA recognises the advances made in communications technology, it is important to emphasise the continued stereotyped media portrayal with a significant increase in media images that perpetuate violence against women and also women's lack of access to expression and decision-making in and through the media.

The recommendations to governments, NGOs and media organisations are made under two specific strategic objectives: to increase the participation and access of women to expression and decision making in and through the media and new technologies of communication; and to promote a balanced and non-stereotyped portrayal of women in the media.

The BPfA highlighted five key points on women and media that need special attention.

¤ The advances made in information technology, particularly the scope for communication networks to transcend national borders, have benefits as well as disadvantages for women;

¤ The increase in the numbers of women who work in the communications sector, however, has not translated into increased access to power and decision-making in media organisations; women are also not able to influence media policies;

¤ The lack of gender sensitivity in media policies and programmes, increased promotion of consumerism, and the need to create self-regulatory mechanisms for the media;

¤ The continued stereotyped portrayal of women in the media and the increase in violent and pornographic images of women;

¤ The obstacles to women's ability to access the expanding electronic information highways and the need to involve women in the development and dissemination of new information technologies

The BPfA recommended that:

¤ The media need to refrain from presenting women as inferior and exploiting them as sex objects. On the contrary, the media could be a useful tool to promote a positive and realistic image of women.

¤ States need to formulate international ethical standards, based on equality between the sexes, that could be reflected in all communication productions, including programming and media portrayal.

¤ The lack of specific research on media portrayal is one of the most critical barriers to ongoing and effective analysis. Studies should be funded to raise awareness about gender-fair images in relation to policy making.

Advertising is not just a mere tool for promoting products or services but it also has its way to formulate a reality in the mind of the public, especially for the most vulnerable in society. Caution is to be taken when producing such advertising and one needs to be gender sensitive when producing works for the media.

The Equality for Men and Women Act (Ch 456, 10 (2)) states clearly that "it is not lawful for persons to publish or display or cause to be published or displayed any advertisement which promotes discrimination or which otherwise discriminate." This means that those who are responsible for advertising need to take extra care in the way men and women are represented in all adverts.

Maria Falzon, B.Comm, is Information Resource Officer at the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE). E-mail: maria.falzon@gov.mt