Ad description

A television ad for Indeed, a job listing company, seen in May 2022, featured the text “Claire, Designer and Dedicated Mum”, overlayed as a woman made toast. The woman was then shown on the Indeed website, as she refined her job search to include only remote positions, until she is interrupted by her daughter. The woman was shown getting her children ready for school and then dropped them off at the school gates. On-screen text then stated, “Better work begins here”. At that point, the woman received an alert for a remote job from Indeed on her phone and applied for it. The woman was then subsequently shown on a video call whilst her daughter sat on her lap. On-screen text then stated, “Indeed We help people get jobs”.

A voice-over in the ad stated, “Honestly, making the choice to go back to work is a big decision. But this time, instead of me going to work, I’m going to have it come to me.”

Issue

Two complainants, who believed that the ad portrayed women as having to prioritise childcare over their careers, challenged whether it perpetuated harmful gender stereotypes by implying that the role of childcare was primarily the responsibility of women.

Response

Indeed Ireland Operations Ltd stated that searches for remote work increased by 790% during the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the ad reflected this new and permanent way of working for millions of people, including those who had children. They also said that women were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and many were now seeking a better deal from work given that the labour market had recovered.

As a result of this societal shift, they said that the ad showed a young mother looking to return to the workforce with a job in design, an occupation which had a high proportion of remote working opportunities in the UK. They highlighted that the ad showed her doing so under her own parameters, ones that suited her professional and family life and afforded her the flexibility to achieve a better work-life balance including doing the school run.

Indeed also said the ad reinforced the idea that parents and caregivers could thrive in high-skilled and prosperous careers when they were given access to remote working opportunities. They said that the intention of the ad was to empower women to enter or re-enter the workforce on their own terms and the core message of the ad was to show that better work did exist which, in turn, benefited society as a whole.

Clearcast said that the ad depicted a mother and child, but that her circumstances and family situation were not explained. They said that there was no reference to her spouse, partner, husband or the child’s father in the ad and that she did not wear a wedding ring, which implied she was not married. Therefore, they believed that it was reasonable to assume she was a single mother who could raise a family, whilst also working.

They said that the ad did not suggest that she was sacrificing her career or that there was a father or partner with whom she could share childhood duties. They said that if the ad had included a partner, they would have ensured there was no harmful gender stereotyping. However, without a partner or father figure in the ad, they thought it was acceptable to depict a woman capable of being a mother, whilst also having a career as a designer.

Furthermore, Clearcast said that her ability to take on both roles as a mother and designer was shown in a positive light. Contrary to the complaint, they believed that this suggested she was a strong woman who was able to balance work and family life, and consequently did not reinforce harmful gender stereotypes.

Assessment

Not upheld

The BCAP Code stated that advertisements must not include gender stereotypes that were likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence. BCAP guidance said that ads may feature people undertaking gender-stereotypical roles, but they should take care to avoid suggesting that stereotypical roles or characteristics were always uniquely associated with one gender. Gender-stereotypical roles included occupations or positions usually associated with a specific gender; for example, women being primarily responsible for childcare.

We noted that the ad did not feature another parent and was not explicit as to whether the woman in the ad had a spouse or partner. We considered that it portrayed the woman as the primary caregiver to her child, a role which was stereotypically seen as the responsibility of women. Unlike Clearcast, we considered that viewers were unlikely to notice that she was not wearing a wedding ring. Furthermore, we noted that the absence of a ring did not necessarily indicate that the woman was solely responsible for her children and had no childcare support from the children’s father or another partner. Nevertheless, although it portrayed her as the primary caregiver, it did not draw a comparison with a man, or suggest that being responsible for childcare was the role of women more generally.

Finally, we noted that the ad showed the woman balancing both her new job and her childcare duties, including whilst working at home. We assessed whether that depicted a harmful gender stereotype, by depicting a mother having to prioritise childcare over her career. However, we considered that in the context of the ad as a whole, viewers would see the ad was empowering and that the woman was appreciative of the flexibility that her new job afforded her. That was furthered by the voice-over which stated, “… instead of me going to work, I’m going to have it come to me”. We considered that portrayed the woman as being in control and that she welcomed the ability to organise her working life around her personal life. Consequently, we considered that she was not shown to prioritise childcare over her career.

For those reasons, we concluded that the ad did not perpetuate negative gender stereotypes and was unlikely to cause widespread or serious harm.

We investigated the ad under BCAP Code rule  4.14 4.14 Advertisements must not include gender stereotypes that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence.
See Advertising Guidance: “Depicting gender stereotypes likely to cause harm or serious or widespread offence?
 (Harm and Offence), but did not find it in breach.

Action

No further action necessary.

BCAP Code

4.14    


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