India too is a largely patriarchal country and the media in India is overflown with advertisements that confirm gender stereotyping. These advertisements in turn shape the minds of the people continuing this vicious cycle. According to a report by UNICEF released in 2019, women in Indian ads share more than half of the characters, screen, and speaking time. But, this representation is almost entirely to sell only domestic and beauty products. It shows the deep-seated stereotypes, not progress.
I have grown up watching commercials in which women are portrayed as desperate to please their husbands and in-laws, as employees who are valued only for their beauty even in the workplace, as sex objects, as annoying wives, as a damsel in distress, as "ideal" mothers, etc. And men as powerful, clueless fathers, holding top positions, sporty, car drivers, adventurous, sole providers in a family, careless, etc.
These advertisements pass easily through the censor board and are banned only if there is a public uproar. An example of such an advertisement is a series of ads by a deodorant brand that promoted rape culture. In one of their ads, a gang of men and a woman is shown shopping in a supermarket. The woman overhears the conversation among the men talking about who will take a shot. The woman is petrified and looks back only to find that they are talking about who will take the deodorant named Layer's Shot. https://youtu.be/X3ZpkJKr-Uw
Also, nowadays there are more ads that "empower" women by encouraging them to fit into this concept of the ideal mother who manages both household and paid work. Such ads are released by the brands on the eve of women's day. An example of this is an ad by a pregnancy test company that released its ad with the tag #SheCanCarryBoth. This unrealistic ad also suggests women have kids even though it is difficult to find time to do both work and child care. It is unrealistic because India practices close to zero maternity or paternity benefits for employees. Also it did not bother to consider the role of the father or partner in rearing the child, even though the protagonist is married. It is a shame that this ad is considered truly empowering by many.
But there is sunshine as recently some brands like TATA Tea released a series of ads with the tagline inequality gets learned, while equality needs teaching. The ad shows a family with a mother, a father, a girl, and a boy. The boy gets to play while the mother asks the girl to help in the kitchen instead of playing. The mother says, what will others say if I don't teach you cooking? Girls should know all these household chores. This is followed by their tagline, encouraging viewers to rethink their views and be gender sensitive. https://youtu.be/y4QxRV4pMcI
I feel the young GEN Y and GEN Z in India appreciate ethical advertising. They are more aware of the issues in their society and are ready to react to media that confirm gender stereotypes. I hope more ads do ethical advertising.
