Advertising
Gender and Advertising in Southern Africa
Edited by Colleen Lowe Morna and Sikhonzile Ndlovu
A ground breaking study on gender and advertising in Southern Africa, conducted by Gender Links, has revealed that while women are more likely to feature in asdvertising than in news content, they are more likely to be seen than head. They predominate in billboards and still images and hardly feature in voice-overs; and it is in these still images that we see blatant stereotypes at their worst.
Covering 1650 radio, television, print and billboard advertisements in Mauritius, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the study aimed to establish how women and men are represented and portrayed in advertising. Despite women constituting half of all consumers, they are often either ignored, or portrayed in ways that perpetuate blatant and more subtle forms of stereotypes.
According to GL Executive Director Colleen Lowe Morna, "Unlike news content that must be impartial, considered and fair, advertisers have the licence to play with our minds by accentuating the bizarre; taking us on good feel trips or lifting us out of our normal space: whatever it takes to capture our attention." But, she adds: "Precisely because of its power over the mind, advertising is a critical area of concern for transforming gender relations."
The full report is attached and can be ordered from Gender Links for R50.00.
To place an order, send an e mail to knowledge@genderlinks.org.za@genderlinks.org.za ; or phone 27 (0) 11 622 2877 or fax 27 (0) 11 622 4732.
