Gender and its Ethics

Anisia Boroznova & Ardra Balachandran

What is Stereotyping?Bootzin, Bower and Crocker (1991) defined

stereotypes as complex mental representations of different types of people, containing all the information that we know or believe to be generally true of them. They argued that a stereotype may be either an accurate or an inaccurate generalization about what members of a category are like.

The term derives from Greek.στερεός (stereos) = solid, firmτύπος (tupos) = blow, impression, engraved mark

Hence means solid impression.

Advantages & DisadvantagesPossible prejudicial effects of stereotypes are: * Justification of ill-founded prejudices or

ignorance * Unwillingness to rethink one's attitudes and

behavior towards stereotyped group * Preventing some people of stereotyped groups

from entering or succeeding in activities or fieldsStereotypes are necessary and inescapable: * It enables us to simplify, predict, and organize

our world

Media Stereotypes

Stereotypes act like codes that give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group of people—usually relating to their class, ethnicity or race, gender, sexual orientation, social role or occupation.

The reverse of the medal…

STEREOTYPES CANreduce a wide range of differences in people

to simplistic categorizationstransform assumptions about particular

groups of people into "realities"be used to justify the position of those in

powerperpetuate social prejudice and inequality

The language we use in our media..

Language is a dynamic and socially-informed tool. To be truly equal, women and men must be seen and heard to be equal.

The media can be proactive in changing perceptions about people in a society by using new terms regularly, or explaining why a term has become negative and not acceptable to a group of people.

After the 1995 Beijing Conference, UNESCO published its Guidelines on Gender-neutral Language.

Gender-insensitive language usage

Gender-sensitive language usage

Man, mankind People, humanity, human beings, humankind, the human species, the human race, we, ourselves, men and women, homo sapiens, one, the public, society, the self, human nature

Manpower Staff, labour, work force, employees, personnel, workers, human resources, human power, human energy

Man-hour Person-hour, work-hour

Brotherhood Human fellowships, human kinship, solidarity

Founding fathers FoundersThe student is going back to school today. He will continue to learn a lot.

The students are going back to school today. They will continue to learn a lot.

Businessman Business manager, executive, head of firm, agent, representative

Businessmen business community, business peopleCameraman Photographer, camera operator

Cameramen Camera crew

Chairman Chairperson, chair, president, presiding officerCleaning lady Cleaner, housekeeperCraftsman Craftsperson

Delivery boy MessengerFireman Fire-fighter; (plural) fire crew, fire brigadeHousewife Homemaker, consumer, customer, shopperMaid Domestic worker

Manpower WorkforcePoliceman Police officer; (plural) policeSalesman / girl Shop assistant, sales assistant, shop worker;

(plural) sales staffSpokesman Representative, spokesperson

Steward / stewardess Flight attendant; (plural) cabin crew

Waiter, waitress ServerWatchman Security Guard

Women doctor; male nurse Doctor; nurseWorkmen’s compensation Worker’s compensation

John and Mary both have full-time jobs. He helps her with the housework.

John and Mary both have full-time jobs. They share the housework.

Or Mary and John both have full-time jobs; they share the housework.

Research scientists often neglect their wives and children.

Research scientists often neglect their families.

Men and girls Men and women; women and menMan and wife Husband and wife; wife and

husbandBetter half Wife, spouseMr Smith and his wife, Mary. Mr John Smith and his spouse, Ms

Mary Smith.

Or John Smith and his spouse, Mary Smith.

Or John and his wife, Mary.

Gender StereotypeGender is the social, cultural and

psychological characteristics of being either male or female. 

Societies have always had ways of differentiating between both men and women, between masculinity and femininity through the assertion of different attitudes and behaviour patterns onto each gender.

Due to the patriarchal nature of most societies, women are sidelined at the receiving end and are made vulnerable to manipulation and subjugation.

MEN are / should be WOMEN are / should be

masculine feminine

dominant submissive

strong weak

aggressive passive

intelligent intuitive

rational emotional

active (do things) communicative (talk about things)

MEN like WOMEN like

cars / technology shopping / make up

getting drunk social drinking with friends

casual sex with many partners committed relationships

Stereotyping in Advertising

Gillian Dyer comments that advertisements ‘define what is style and what is good taste, not as possibilities or suggestions, but as unquestionably desirable goals.

Hence stereotyping in the advertising realm proves extremely dangerous; often contributing to wrong ideologies getting validated affecting the social order radically.

Why do advertisers stereotype?

Stereotypes are easier than getting to know every man and women in the world personally. Advertisers are especially prone to using them to sell products for the same reason.

They assume that all women or men are similar to make targeting audiences a simpler process and cost-effective. 

CEDAW clauseConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of

Discrimination Against Women, the world’s most comprehensive legal instrument to outline women’s rights.

By 2001, 168 countries, 2/3rd of the members of the UN, were party to CEDAW.

India ratified it in 1993. Article 5 enjoins the State parties to take

appropriate measures “to modify…. practices which are based on the

idea of the inferiority or superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women.”

Regulations specific to AdvertisingThe Code of Commercial Advertising on

Doordarshan has a clause that prohibits ads that emphasize ‘passive, submissive qualities’ in women. Also indecent, repulsive, offensive treatment shall be avoided in all advertisements. (No specific mention about treatment that involves women or representation of women)

The Code of Advertising Practice (1985) amended in Febraury 1995, and more recently in June 1999 as The Code for self-regulation in Advertising by the Advertising Standards Council of India. (Also does not have any women-specific clause to be protected from stereotyping and manipulation)

Instances of Gender StereotypesAn analysis of advertisements by Goffman (1976) found numerous instances of subtle stereotyping including:

1. functional ranking — the tendency to depict men in executive roles and as more functional when collaborating with women. (Example – Virgin mobile)

2. ritualization of subordination — an overabundance of images of women lying on floors and beds or as objects of men's mock assaults. (Example – Zatak Deo)

3. the feminine touch — the tendency to show women cradling and caressing the surface of objects with their fingers. (Example – Prestige)

4. family — fathers depicted as physically distant from their families or as relating primarily to sons, and mothers depicted as relating primarily to daughters. (Example – Airtel)

Stereotype of RolesMen are generally more likely than women to be

shown in working roles, whereas a large majority of female characters was depicted in nonworking roles.

The type of working role and non-working role has been found to differ between sexes*

Five types of working rolesHigh-level business, entertainer or professional sportsperson, mid-level business, white-collar worker and blue-collar worker.

Non-working roles Family, recreational and decorative roles.

*Research by Courtney and

Lockeretz (1971)

Examples of Role StereotypesMany advertisements show mothers serving meals to their

families (but very few show fathers doing this).

These advertisements seem to suggest that mothers do all the housework and cooking, and really enjoy this.

Men engaged in physically active pastimes such as sport, rock-climbing or canoeing (but few show women doing these things)

Teenage girls grooming themselves such as putting on make-up, brushing their hair and generally worrying about their appearance (but few show teenage boys doing these things)

Young boys playing with action toys such as trucks and super-hero figures (but girls are not shown doing this).

Stereotype of DesirabilityFor women, "desirable" physical characteristics

(as they are portrayed in the media) include being thin, long-legged, slim-hipped, and large-breasted.

For men, "desirable" physical characteristics include being muscular and possessing a full head of hair.

Some characteristics are portrayed as desirable in both sexes, such as being tall, fit, athletic, young, and light-skinned. 

Stereotype of CommodificationAds often turn women into ‘commodities that

please men’ and project women's images as male-defined as against ‘individuals of inherent worth.’Example – Lux

Women are ‘wooable.’Example - BrylCreem

The association of beauty with these commodities (women) is so strong that society tends to look at an ugly woman almost with abhorrence. While male ugliness can be overcome, female ugliness becomes the ultimate shortcoming.Example – Fair and Lovely

Stereotype of ChildrenMajority advertisements featuring children had

little boys in varying shapes, sizes and moods. They are dirty, naughty, rowdy, intelligent and

made to appear as more desirable to parents.Example – Life Buoy cleaning campaign

When you do see two children in ads, its usually a boy and girl or two boys and rarely is a family with two girls spotted. Example – Surf Excel (Daag Achae Hai!)

A few ads that did feature young girls, projected them with their mothers in ads for beauty products. Most reinforced stereotypical images of being chatterboxes, or sweet delicate ‘things’.Example – Mediker

Stereotype of Food HabitsThe number of ads for food in men’s magazines is

very few whereas a wide range of food products appear in women’s magazines. Already the notion that women are more involved in food purchasing and preparation is introduced.

The ads that do appear in men’s magazines are Cuppo Noodles, Chocolate bars and other ready -to-eat stuff and convey men’s supposed inability to cook proper meals. In cooking anything beyond these simple products, women should ‘help their men out.’

*Research by Helen Macdonald in 2007

Some pertinent questions..Do advertisers turn women into commodities that

please men, or do they portray them as human beings conscious of their own worth?

Are women shown preponderantly serving others or as pursuing profitable careers?

Are they shown as objects of men's fancy, relying on their largesse, or as persons of value, capable of managing their own lives?

Are they shown silly, stupid and mindless, or are they portrayed intelligent, strong and assertive, capable of successfully undertaking responsibilities and contributing to productivity in society?

Are women shown fanatical about cleanliness around the house?

And the Big Ethical Question...

Is it Right?

Convenience of not having Ethics

Businesses can make profits their sole aim

Can save the time required to explore new paths

Little thought to spare for social responsibility

Solutions?Social Change

Advertisers, ad creators and social order in general need to become gender sensitive.

Advertising work need not necessarily translate into a radical anti-thesis. Of course, non-sexist advertising alone is not guaranteed to remove the detrimental effects of hundreds of years of oppression and subjugation that have been women’s lot. But sexist advertising works subliminally, justifying the status quo.

While agencies can’t change society purely through representation in advertising, they should look for opportunities to highlight instances where society has changed or is changing.Examples – Ads for TVS Scooty / ICICI Prudential Life Insurance

Solutions?Alternate Programming

Conscious and deliberate effort to brainstorm and come up with fresh ideas rather than choose the easy way out. Defying gender stereotypes in execution of your campaign, even as you are guided by women’s ways of buying to develop it, is a challenge – but worth undertaking.

Example - Vodafone

Ammendment of Code of EthicsGovernment policies to promote fair and equitable portrayals in all mass media.

Make A Choice!Growing number of ads that features body as

a traitor by highlighting problems such as dandruff and body odour.

Isn’t there a moral duty for media persons to foster ethical promotion of products? Can’t psychological misalignment be done without?

The woman is now out of the home, but she still lives within her skin. Anxieties have shifted from performing within the home to appearing outside.

Make A Choice!The booming of an entire personal care product and cosmetic industry is heavily dependent on the surmise that a woman has to be beautiful to be accepted, and hence the proliferation and immense success of beauty parlours.

Is business profit the only concern? Does not a generation of women with low self-esteem and confidence bother you?

Is society losing the perspective that celebrates physical uniqueness and other aspects of a person’s identity a trivial issue?

Ours is a caste-conscious, tradition-bound, superstitious, feudal and intensely patriarchal society.

Abdu’l Baha’s quote…The world of humanity is possessed of two

wings: the male and the female. So long as these two wings are not equivalent in strength, the bird will not fly. Until womankind reaches the same degree as man, until she enjoys the same arena of activity, extraordinary attainment for humanity will not be realized; humanity cannot wing its way to the heights of real attainment.

*Abdu’l Baha is the son of Baha’u’llah who founded the Bahai faith.

Thank You!

Suggested Readings

Privileging the Privileged –Sharada Jotimuttu Schaffter

Gender Stereotyping in Advertising -Gouri Shah

(livemint.com)