Report on a presentation by Sikhonzile Ndlovu, Gender Links, South Africa

Made at WACC's Congress, 2008 in Cape Town.

The research on 'gender and advertising' in Southern Africa was conducted by Gender Links, South Africa. The purpose of the study  was to establish how advertisements in Southern Africa represent women and men by analyzing the extent to which women and men appear in adverts, the roles that women and men play in advertising, the extent to which adverts promote or challenge gender stereotyping and how audiences perceive or are affected by such adverts.

Advertisements from Mauritius, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe were included in the study.

Sources and subjects in advertising

The study found that women are more likely to feature in adverts than as news sources. While the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) in 2005 found only 21% of news subjects – people who are interviewed or whom the news are about – are female, the Gender Links study found that the statistics virtually doubled in advertisements; 41% of advertisement subjects – voices and images - are women.

In no country included in the study were there equal numbers of women and men subjects. 'More women' however does not mean greater gender sensitivity, in fact, women's physical attributes are relied upon as a marketing ploy. The research also found that women are more likely to be seen than heard; they dominate in images on billboards (54% of subjects), in print (42%) and on radio (35%).
Gender stereotyping

Advertisements perpetuate gender stereotypes to a very large extent with 62% of monitored adverts portraying women and men in stereotypical ways.

Billboards have the highest number of stereotypes, to the extent of more blatant stereotypes where the relationship between image and product is non-existent.

Older women were non-existent in the images. There were however a few examples of gender aware adverts.

Roles

The study found that women appear more in domestic settings e.g. home-maker at 58%, parent/ caregiver (80%), domestic worker/ gardener (76%). When they appear outdoors, the emphasis is on their femininity, for instance as beauty queens at 84%. When men appear in advertisements, they are portrayed more in professional roles at 67%; as business people (62%), sales people/marketers at (66%) and politicians (68%).

The invisibility of older women in advertisements reinforces subtle stereotypes. No matter what the product, from eye glasses to food, younger women dominate. 48% of women in advertisements are in the 20 – 35 years age bracket.

Gender aware adverts

Among the countries in which the study was implemented, Mauritius was found to have the highest number of gender-aware adverts while Zimbabwe had the lowest.
Gender aware consumers

The study found consumers have a high degree of gender consciousness. Both women and men have started to question the objectification of women in adverts.

Significance

Advertisements not only influence what the public consume but they also influence public opinion and shape worldviews. Advertisements portray and interpret society's definition of roles for women and men, that is, definitions on 'femininity' and 'masculinity'. Research on advertising is important given the reach of advertisements in homes and all over public spaces.

Lessons learnt

There is a thin line between freedom of expression and sexist advertising. It is important to engage with the advertising industry as a space for struggle for those concerned with respect for women's human rights and gender equality.

For more information on this study, contact Gender Links: www.genderlinks.org.za

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