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This begs two obvious and important questions: why are more brands not capitalising more on this huge opportunity to make their ads perform better? And, even more importantly: how can brands overcome what’s holding them back?
Lack of awareness of the commercial benefits of representing women more realistically is likely one obstacle. But dig deeper and it’s clear there’s something else going on.
For a start, despite mountains of evidence showing that more gender-equal societies are better not only for women but also for men, too, growing numbers of men are now seeing gender equality as the enemy. And this anti-feminist backlash is strongest amongst Gen Z.
The IPSOS/Effie report reveals growing numbers of people, especially amongst 16-24s, agreeing that the main role for women in society is to be good wives and mothers.
Similarly, other studies show that Gen Z hold less progressive views about women in leadership than their predecessors; are less likely to advocate for women’s rights compared to older generations; and younger men are also most likely to label a man who stays home to care for his children as “not a real man”.
If we’re stuck in this growing ‘menemies’ mindset, is it any wonder we’re not reaping the commercial benefit of more authentic gender portrayals in our ads?
So how can we free ourselves from the false but compelling belief that gender equality means men having to self-sacrifice? There are, I believe, a number of things we all can – and should – do.
The first is to bust some dominant myths – like the idea that ‘women are everywhere now’.
We are so used to male voices, bodies and interests dominating our physical and cultural spaces that when that diminishes a little, it can genuinely feel like ‘women are taking over.’ But that’s not the case. Take Frozen, Disney’s radically female-centred story centring on sisterly love. The majority – 59% – of the lines in this movie were spoken not by women but men.
Despite the success of Taylor Swift, Lizzo and Billie Eilish, female artists accounted for just 30% of artists in the 2022 Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart. And that same year, women – either solo artists or all-female bands – accounted for just 13% of the UK’s 50 biggest music festivals’ headline acts.
In certain genres such as dance music, where female acts are largely ignored by radio, the figures are even more skewed. And it’s the same story in books, news and real life. Which perhaps explains why men still tend to speak much more than women in ads.
It’s why we still see The Smurfette Principle – when a cast is made up of a group of males and just one female, and or where while men represent different character types the woman is often there simply to represent womanhood – still in action in ads, too.
Adland would do well to apply a version of the movie industry’s Bechdel Test – to pass, we’d see women talking to each other about something other than caring, cleaning or looking good.
Challenging dominant myths and biases isn’t enough, however.
We also need to ensure the narrative of change doesn’t sound like we’re shoving men aside because ‘the future is female’ – not just to avoid the sense of personal injustice this might trigger but because we can’t create work that represents a more gender-equal world by just addressing one half of the picture.
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