On March 30, the Unstereotype Alliance launched its India national chapter in a bid to tackle harmful gender stereotypes in the media and advertising. The initiative was made possible with support from European Union (EU)-funded WeEmpowerAsia Programme. The Alliance will focus its work in India with the motive to broaden the representation of women and girls in non-traditional roles with a focus on women returning to the workforce. The Unstereotype Alliance India chapter makes it the second such initiative in Asia, and the ninth in the world.
The Gender Equality Attitudes study, conducted across 10 countries including India, has revealed that while many Indians recognise the importance of equal right for women, archaic biases still exist. For example, 87 per cent of those surveyed believe that it is essential for society to treat women as equal to men but a further analysis showed that 39 per cent of those surveyed believe that there are acceptable circumstances for someone to hit their spouse or partner; a further 39 per cent believe that a woman should not earn more than her husband. What’s worse is, 49 per cent believe that for the same job, men should be paid more than women while an alarming 75 per cent believe that when a mother works for pay, the children suffer.
Unstereotype Alliance’s India National Chapter includes a coalition of founding members like Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), Diageo, WPP, Publicis Groupe, Havas Group, Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), The Advertising Club, and Samhita Social Ventures. Championed by HUL, the Alliance will focus on widening the depiction of women and men in contemporary roles in the media and advertising.
In a statement to the press, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director, UN Women, said, “The launch of the India national chapter is a significant milestone for the Unstereotype Alliance. It shows that the India advertising and media industry is coming together in all its strength and diversity to tackle the harmful stereotypes that hinder progress towards gender equality. This is critical to addressing the drivers of inequality such as violence against women and girls, intergenerational poverty and the lack of women in leadership and decision-making roles.”
Taking the point a step further, Priya Nair, the executive director of beauty and personal care at HUL, said, “Across the globe, consumers are increasingly expecting brands to take a stand on the issues they care most about – gender stereotype has been one such issue. Various organisations need to come together to bring about this systematic change and set new standards of empowerment and equality. As a founding member of the Unstereotype Alliance, we look forward to supporting UN Women, to drive social change, encourage action, and put an end to gender stereotypes and discrimination.”
*Image for representational purposes only