Is advertising possible without gender stereotypes? Who can influence the ad content and how? How can we encourage more gender-neutral content? These questions were discussed during a round table at the National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting.
Yevheniia Kravchuk, a Member of Parliament, Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, and Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Information Support and the Provision of Integration Processes, highlighted that Ukraine was the first country in the world to establish a legislative framework to counter discriminatory advertising.
“Back in 2021, we clearly defined the concept of discriminatory advertising because society was outraged by stereotypical billboards and video ads,” Kravchuk said.
The MP gave an example of discriminatory content in advertising: a naked woman promoting concrete.
Olha Herasymiuk, Head of the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting, pointed out that gender balance and the elimination of stereotypes are not only about justice or equal opportunities. They are also a matter of national security in the modern world.
Ihor Tymofieiev, Analyst at the National Council, presented the results of TV advertising monitoring. The experts analyzed several TV channels, including the United News telethon.
Most often, ads feature stereotypical male and female roles. The socially active, breadwinning man and the child-caring woman, cooking and doing laundry. Women are often presented as beautiful — as if beauty were their main advantage, and men are shown as tough machos.
There are also non-stereotypical ads on TV, showing a more balanced distribution of household chores, or even ads that break stereotypes — such as a woman beating a man at chess.
The analyst says that positive changes in advertising are noticeable. While in the past women were mostly sexualized, they are now shown in more diverse roles.
Liza Kuzmenko, Head of the Women in Media NGO and a member of the Commission on Journalistic Ethics noted that it is very important for those conducting monitoring to have expertise and understand the terminology. Analysts from the media regulator have proven to be highly qualified professionals.
“We cannot eliminate stereotypes altogether. Everyone has them. Some stereotypes are positive — for example, Georgians are hospitable — or neutral, like German fridges are of good quality. But some are harmful, like the idea that child care is only for women. It is important to follow the law and not discriminate against anyone,” the expert said.
Liza Kuzmenko recommended that advertisers use the “mirror rule”: if a certain image or role could be applied to both men and women, then it is acceptable. If it can only be applied to a woman, that concept should be reconsidered.
“The Bechdel test is used in fiction movies. It checks whether a film includes at least two women with names who talk to each other about something other than a man. Maybe we need something similar for advertising. Not to demonize the industry, but to offer guidance,” she suggested.
Tetiana Avdieieva, Senior Legal Counsel at Digital Security Lab, expressed concern that Ukraine may face challenges with advertising produced by bloggers and influencers. Currently, no one can regulate this area. Therefore, it requires new approaches to develop and implement certain rules.
Anastasia Baidachenko, CEO at Interactive Advertising Bureau, shared that they developed the influencer code. She emphasized the need for unity, collaboration, and promoting the topic further.
Maksym Lazebnyk, CEO of the All-Ukrainian Advertising Coalition, expressed skepticism about eliminating stereotypes altogether. In his opinion, the key point is that stereotypes in advertising should not provoke outrage, and viewers should understand that it’s just advertising.
Olena Buchynska, Head of Kyiv Regional Branch of Industrial Gender Advertising Committee added that in discriminatory ads, people tend to remember the story but not the advertiser.
Olena Andriienko, Chief LegalTech Officer at Publicis Groupe, Secretary of Public Council at the National Council, member of Expert Committee on Artificial Intelligence under the Ministry of Digital Transformation highlighted that AI-generated advertising is becoming increasingly common. Whether it will reflect gender balance depends on the models used and how the prompts are formulated.
When summing up, Olha Herasymiuk, the head of the national regulator, stressed that it is humans, with their values, who shape all processes:
“There is a person behind everything that happens: the contractor, the customer, or whoever it may be. Everything changes, and everything needs to be discussed. Advertising cannot be disconnected from reality. Falsehood is repulsive. It all depends on how we choose to portray reality. If we want change, we should approach it delicately, correctly, and with talent.”
It is worth recalling that in 2024, Women in Media initiated the creation of the coalition “Gender Equality in Ukrainian Media,” which brings together non-governmental organizations, independent media, and state institutions. The purpose of this coalition is to foster dialogue and coordination in promoting gender equality and inclusivity in media and strengthen gender mainstreaming as a principle of good governance.
The coalition’s areas of work include the preparation of analytical materials and recommendations for media, taking into account ethical principles and self-regulation; organizing joint events and campaigns to combat sexism in the media and promote the principles of equality and non-discrimination.
This activity was made possible by International Media Support (IMS) as part of the project “United for Equality in the Media: Promoting Gender Equality Through Cooperation Between Public Organizations, Media, and Authorities” implemented by the NGO “Women in Media.” Any views expressed here belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the IMS.