Representation of Social Inequality of Women in

Advertisements

The stereotypical images are a result of deeply embedded social practices

and interpretation, and media persons themselves play an active part in
constructing these images.1 According to a survey conducted by Pakistan
Advertising Association, 75% of all adverts using women are the products
used in the bathrooms or kitchens and 56% of women in adverts are shown
as domestic helpers/housewives and Men are presented in 43 professions
whereas women are presented in 18 of them. In contrast to these stats, lies
the PEMRA rules (2009), which states, No advertisement shall be permitted
which promotes social inequality, militates against concepts of human
dignity and dignity of labour. This study examines how the ideology of perfect
and ideal social role is constructed in Pakistani advertisements. For this
purpose, two television commercials have been selected in order to analyze
the different roles performed by women and men.

Cultural stereotypes are engrained in both men and women through the
media since they are born, and these stereotypes are a possible factor for
gender inequality, and the resulting gender wage disparity. Traditionally in
Pakistan, women have been viewed as caring and nurturing, and therefore,
women are designated roles that mostly require them to have such skills.
Although, these skills are culturally valued, they are typically associated with
domesticity, so occupations requiring these skills are not always
economically valued. On the other hand, men have traditionally been viewed
as the breadwinners or the workers in the family; therefore, jobs held by men
have historically been economically valued.

In a patriarchal country like Pakistan , women are still homemakers primarily, but
they are also educated, intelligent and rational human beings that are
excluded at many levels from decision-making and intellectual positions. As
noted by media specialist researchers, there is too much focus on
housewives and too little attention given to working women. They portray
women as passive, deferential, unintelligent, shy, dreamy, gentle, likely to
be manipulated, helpless, and with body language depicting psychological
withdrawal, submissiveness and supplication. (Browne, 1998). Women are
frequently used to sell the products that they have nothing to do with. Using
women by equating them with purchasable commodities lowers self esteem
in women, reinforces their subordinate position and devalues their
intellectual and constructive role in the society. Even the Pakistani
constitution bestows woman with these basic rights; Article 34 states: Steps
shall be taken to ensure the full participation of women in all spheres of

1http://www.na.gov.pk/uploads/documents/1333523681_951.pdf
national life.

Kisan Cooking oil and Ghees 2015 TV Commercial, endorsed Sanam Saeed,
Azfar Rehman, Osman Khalid Butt, Maya Ali, Danish Taimoor, Ayeza Khan, all
the leading celebrities that have a major influence on Pakistans society. The
TVC is a compilation of three narratives and each narrative is based upon the
relationship of each celebrity couple performing their daily activities of life. In
the first narrative, wife is in the kitchen making food while the husband is
getting ready to play golf but he is lured by the smell of food which drags
him to the kitchen to his wife. In the second narrative, husband has his
friends over, the wife decides to cook food to please her husband and his
friends. In the third narrative, there is a family dinner where the wife is
serving her in laws food while the husband seems to be ignoring her and
engrossed playing on his phone. His attention is captured towards her when
he sees the dish full of food. The agency, Ogilvy and Mather, violated the
social inequality rule by PERMA 2009. In all three narratives, the women is
constructed to have a submissive role and man is depicted as a person who
seems withdrawn and stands at a distance from housework. Similar analysis
can be found in Marvi Sheikhs critical discourse analysis. According to her
publication, The Kashmir cooking oil expresses the roles of man and woman
within society. It signifies that expectation of a good and perfect wife is to
show innocence and servant-like role. In addition to this, the ad symbolizes a
perfect couple.

Another advertising agency that delivered an unethical practice is Spectrum

Y & R under the rules laid down by PAS (Pakistan Advertisers Society) that
states, No advertisements should bring advertising into disrepute. In their
recent Lemon Max dishwashing ad featuring Maya Ali, Fahad Mustafa and
mother-in-law, TVC revolves around a wife (Maya Ali) and husband (Fahad
Mustafa) singing Long Drive Chal to his wife but is hurdled by the mother-
in-law, who demands the dishes to be washed before they leave. Maya then
uses the lemon max long bar, shots of her singing and cleaning, and she is
done with several dishes in no time. Therefore, the most natural portrayal of
a woman is a stereotype one, that is, a woman well-ensconced in a domestic
situation and playing a second fiddle to man. 2

In an issue of the Media Watch newsletter Images, the Director General of

PTV, Yusuf Baig Mirza is quoted as saying, Much as PTV would like to present
better images of women on the screen, there are certain constraints in

2 "Pakistan Forum , Portrayal Of Women in Media." Pakistan News Service -

PakTribune. 28 June 2011 .
dealing with Ad agencies. Advertisements are there to sell the product. Mr.
Mirza suggested that advertising agencies could run test campaigns and
present them to audiences from different groups. Perhaps Ad agencies could
work out a methodology that would sell the product and simultaneously cut
down on the stereotypical images of women as they are coming across
currently.

Womens portrayal is usually made to follow commercial interests in our

society. While it would be unfair to state that profit is not important, it is
equally important for media houses in Pakistan to follow a common gender
policy taking into consideration the fair portrayal of women and men in the
media. On the contrary, the current policy being followed by media is one of
co-modification, commercialization, and consumerism. There is a lack of
gender policies in media houses. Neither has PEMRA or PAS (Pakistan
Advertisers Society) taken any notice regarding the unethical violation of
social inequality in society. (MORE WOMEN IN MEDIA- the way forward)

Bibliography

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Lemon Max Commercial. Dir. Ahsan Rahim. Perf. Fahad Mustafa and Maya Ali. 2015.

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