The seminar “Combating sexist advertising: learning from practice” was organised on 28-29 October, aiming to provide a platform for discussion on combating sexist advertising and the role of equality bodies in this field, for participants from the member states of the Council of Europe. This event was organised by our joint project, funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe.
The seminar had the following objectives:
- Increase the understanding of participants about sexist advertising and how to assess it
- Provide space for sharing challenges from the national level and of the responses to this issue
- Engage participants in discussing ways in which different national entities, and equality bodies, can combat sexist advertising as part of fighting against discrimination.
Achieving gender equality is central to the fulfilment of the Council of Europe’s mission: safeguarding human rights, upholding democracy and preserving the rule of law. Despite the fact that gender inequalities affect every person’s life, women have faced more discriminations and limitations because of their gender. Although significant progress has been achieved over the last decades, many challenges still remain: women continue to be underrepresented at all levels of decision making, globally women are paid less than men for the same jobs, while women and girls continue to experience various types of violence. In addition, discriminatory and gender blind legislation exacerbate the situation, as gender stereotypes remain pervasive ingrained by long-standing biases.
Media and advertising play an essential role in shaping the perceptions, social attitudes, values and behaviours, including in relation to gender equality. This is one of the reasons why the Council of Europe adopted numerous recommendations and resolutions, urging its member states to undertake measures to ensure a balanced and decent portrayal of all genders in media and advertising. In this respect, the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence stipulates that Parties shall take necessary steps to promote gender equality principles in the media and to encourage private sector and media, along others, to participate in the elaboration and implementation of policies and to set guidelines and self-regulatory standards to prevent violence against women and to enhance respect for their dignity.
The way women are depicted by advertising could seriously harm women’s human rights, by denigrating their image and dignity, objectifying them, and reinforcing gender stereotypes. While women are featured more by sexist advertising, men also face stereotypical portrayal, which can reinforce gender inequalities, promote toxic masculinity and distort the way gender equality and violence against women are perceived. Sexist advertising is a manifestation of gender discrimination, as it contributes to perpetuation of gender stereotypes in society through the promoted images and messages, and it perpetuates the inferiority and submission of one gender to another. Gender stereotypical advertising reinforces gender norms, presents them as a normality and thus contributes to maintaining the current status-quo which causes gender inequalities.
This activity was organised in the framework of the project “Strengthening access to justice for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech in the Eastern Partnership”, funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe in their Partnership for Good Governance II.
Watch the recording from the sessions of 28 October 2021 and 29 October 2021.
Download the presentations (by order presented during the event):
28 October 2021
- Council of Europe’s work achieving gender equality and combating sexism, by Cécile GREBOVAL, Gender Equality Division, Council of Europe
- Sexist advertising as a form of gender-based discrimination and its harmful effects on gender equality, by Elena RATOI, Council of Europe expert
- Addressing sexist advertising: the line between freedom of speech and gender discrimination, by Eva-Maria SVENSSON, Deputy head, Law, University of Gothenburg
29 October 2021
- Presentation of the Guidelines “Combating sexist advertising: the role of equality bodies”, by Elena RATOI, Council of Europe expert
- The role of self-regulatory mechanisms in combating sexist advertising, by Irina LYLYK/ Elena DAVLIKANOVA/Elena BUCHINSKAYA, the Industrial Gender Committee on Advertising, Ukraine
- The role of self-regulatory mechanisms in combating sexist advertising, by Elisabeth TROTZIG, Reklamombudsmannen, Sweden
- Media regulatory institutions and civil society as actors in preventing sexist advertising, by Sašo BOGDANOVSKI, Agency for Audio and Audio-Visual Media Services, North Macedonia and Tatiana ISAEVA, Center for Gender Culture, Ukraine
