UK to Ban Ads Featuring Traditional Male and Female Roles

Calvin Freiburger : Dec 17, 2018
LifeSiteNews.com

There's no word on whether the new rules will apply to the government itself, which came under fire in September for a series of bus ads from the British National Health Service (NHS) that promoted abortifacient contraception as a way to keep from having to "give up" boys' video games and girls' high heels and lipstick.

(United Kingdom)— [Lifesitenews.com] Advertisements that depict traditional gender roles or play off common "battle of the sexes" tropes are set to be banned in the United Kingdom next year. The UK's Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) claims that such "gender stereotypes" carry "harmful consequences" for individuals and society alike. The new guidance for ad rules are set to take effect in June of next year. (Photo source: Raw Pixels/via Unsplash)

"Certain kinds of gender stereotypes can negatively reinforce how people think they should look and behave, and how others think they should look and behave, due to their gender," the document states. "This can lower their self-esteem and limit their aspirations and ability to progress in key aspects of their personal and professional lives," the fallout of which makes it "appropriate to restrict ads" including such stereotypes.

Ads will still be permitted to depict what the CAP considers "glamorous, attractive, successful, aspirational or healthy people or lifestyles" and contain stereotypes for the purpose of challenging them, but the document lists numerous, wide-ranging examples of potential violations.

Those examples include "a man with his feet up and family members creating a mess around a home while a woman is solely responsible for cleaning up the mess"; "a man being adventurous juxtaposed with a woman being delicate or dainty"; "a man's inability to change nappies" or "a woman's inability to park a car"; and "implying that [less-than ideal physique] is a significant reason for them not being successful ... in their romantic or social lives."

Other possible scenarios are not necessarily banned but warned to be "handled with care," such as "emphasizing the contrast between a boy's stereotypical personality (e.g. daring) with a girl's stereotypical personality (e.g. caring)."

The new content rules follow a review of "sexism" in advertising and will apply to newspapers, magazines, TV, movies, leaflets, online ads, and social media, The Guardian reports... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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