The 

Volkswagen commercial shows a number of primarily male people taking part in

adventurous activities — two male astronauts in space, and a male athlete with a prosthetic
leg doing the long jump — before cutting to a mother sitting on a park bench next to a
stroller. It prompted three complaints from viewers, and the ASA found it showed a woman
“engaged in a stereotypical care-giving role.”

“We acknowledged that becoming a parent was a life-changing experience that required
significant adaptation, but taking care of children was a role that was stereotypically
associated with women,” the body added in its ruling.

UK bans VW, Philadelphia Cream Cheese ads over gender stereotypes

An advertisement juxtaposing male astronauts with a woman sitting by a stroller, and

another depicting two hapless dads, are the first casualties of a British ban on gender
stereotypes in advertising.

The ads, for Volkswagen and Philadelphia Cream Cheese, were investigated by the UK
Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) after viewers complained they perpetuated gender
stereotypes.

New rules that came into force in June prohibit depictions of gender that “are likely to
cause harm, or serious or widespread offense.”

The new rules follow a review by the ASA, published in 2017, which found that harmful
stereotypes reinforced by advertising “can restrict the choices, aspirations and
opportunities of children, young people and adults.”

A public furor over a 2015 poster on the walls of London’s subway system, showing a
woman in a bikini with the words “Are you beach body ready?,” prompted the regulator to
look into all gender portrayals in advertising.

The ad — for a weight-loss product — was not initially banned by the ASA, as it did not
explicitly break any rules, but the regulator eventually took action due to its health claims.

“Our evidence shows how harmful gender stereotypes in ads can contribute to inequality in
society, with costs for all of us,” Guy Parker, chief executive of the ASA, said in a statement
in June.

The ASA said commercials will still be allowed to show “glamorous, attractive, successful,
aspirational or healthy people or lifestyles.”

CNN Business has contacted Volkswagen for comment.

According to an article from CNN, there is. The UK Advertising Standards Agency has
reportedly banned this video spot from airing in Britain because it depicts potentially
harmful gender stereotypes. Recent rules about gender depictions in advertising went into
effect in the UK as of June 2019. Specifically, section 4.9 listed at the Advertising Standards
Agency website reads: “Marketing communications must not include gender stereotypes
that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence.” Per CNN’s report, three
complaints were levied against this ad, which we have embedded at the top of this article
for you to watch.