Preventive Measure on Sexism Advertisement

Sexism in advertising continues to be a pervasive issue, perpetuating harmful stereotypes and

demeaning portrayals of women. Portraying decency in advertising is a crucial issue that can damage

the credibility of the entire sector, and it is perilous since it may offend customers, destroying the

entire purpose of the advertisement (Andersson & Schytt, 2017). These measures should focus on

promoting gender equality, challenging harmful representations, and creating an inclusive advertising

industry:

1. Stricter regulations and guidelines

 Regulations that explicitly prohibit the use of sexist imagery or content, objectification of

women as sexual, and any other form of gender-based discrimination that would cause high

sensitivity to consumers (Alam et al., 2019).

 Promote observance of industry norms and codes of ethics that strongly emphasize gender

equality and respect.

2. Practice the respect for human dignity

 Advertising should embrace morals and ethnic of nonhierarchical collective relationships and

advertising firms should urge their target demographic to enjoy basic human needs to see

themselves in the advertising mirror (Alam et al., 2019).

3. Boycott the goods or services

 The public can boycott the products or services of those advertising agencies who choose not

to implement any preventive measures and express their disapproval of their sexist

advertising content (Alam et al., 2019).

4. Prioritize inclusivity

 Advertising agencies and corporations should prioritize diversity and inclusivity which can

be accomplished by actively pursuing diverse talent, both behind and in front of the camera,

from a variety of body shapes, races, and backgrounds.

5. Raise awareness about sexist advertising

 Advertising professionals should receive instruction about the detrimental effects of sexist

advertising and to teach them how to generate inclusive and empowering advertising material

such as organizing seminars, and courses on gender dynamics and unconscious bias in

advertising (Thompson-Whiteside et al., 2020).

6. Frequent Training

 To increase staff member's understanding of gender equality and actively carry out their

responsibilities to stop sexist advertising, advertisers, and publishers of advertisements should

hold frequent training sessions.

 To improve the ability to identify sexist commercials, managers and staff in the advertisement

review department get specialized training.

7. Content Review

 Create a review procedure for advertisements to determine whether they might propagate

gender stereotypes or sexism

 To assess the substance of advertisements, get feedback from professionals, advocacy

organizations, and locals

8. Advocacy Group Collaboration

 To get viewpoints and insights on possible problems in advertising material, collaborate with

advocacy groups for gender equality and women’s rights.

 In order to encourage constructive change within the industry, cooperate with these

organizations.

9. Legal Framework

 Make sure that laws against sexist advertising practices are in place and that infractions area

penalized when they happen.

10. Positive Messaging

 Motivate sponsors to support uplifting and inspiring messaging that subverts gender norms

and prejudices
 References

Alam, M. M., Aliyu, A., & Shahriar, S. M. (2019). Presenting women as sexual objects in marketing

communications: Perspective of morality, ethics and religion. Journal of Islamic Marketing,

10(3), 911-927. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-03-2017-0032

Andersson, H. & Schytt, E. (2017). Sexism in advertising: A qualitative study of the influence on

consumer attitudes towards companies. [Master’s thesis, Jönköping University International

Business School] DIVA portal. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1105334/FULL

TEXT01.pdf

Thompson-Whisteside, H., Turnbull, S. & Howe-Walsh, L. (2020). Advertising: should creative

women be expected to ‘fake it?’. Journal of Marketing Management, 37(3-4), 294-319.

https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2019.1707704