In 2022, 46.6% of the workforce in the United States was female (Mathew Zane of Zippia). That’s almost half of the entire workforce! So, why then are women still being portrayed in a stereotypical manner in advertisements? A recent article written by The Drum shows that stereotyping women in advertisements has actually went up in the past year by 66%. What’s going on? Are we not in the progressive 21st Century? On top of this fact, women of darker skin tones have been featured 80% less than women with lighter skin. Sometimes it seems we’re taking a step forward and then we take two steps back in terms of equality. These numbers have to change and it has to be done within the industry as a whole. The advertising industry professionals are considered the “cultural intermediaries” who develop messages. A survey done by Megan Sullivan-Jenks, Director of Marketing & Communications at Choozle, shows that 37% of respondents agreed that the ad industry has a responsibility not to use gender stereotypes. There are two schools of thought on the role of advertising to society. The first is the “mirror” role that suggests that advertisements are merely a reflection of society’s values that already exists and are dominant. The “mold” argument states that people will incorporate stereotypes presented by media into their own value and beliefs system. We think it is safe to say that both are true. The role of advertising professionals should come with responsibility to empower women, not stereotype them into roles of nonprofessionals or submissiveness.
