Ad description
A product listing on Amazon for a radiator shelf, seen on 27 March 2026, showed an image carousel with the sixth slide headed “EASY TO INSTALL”; text underneath that stated, “Girls can also install it easily”.
Issue
The complainant, who believed the ad perpetuated a harmful gender stereotype by suggesting that women were less skilled than men at DIY tasks, challenged whether it breached the Code.
Response
Linyixiansanrenwangluokejiyouxiangongsi t/a IDJRDDF said the ad was intended to show the product was easy for beginners and was not meant to suggest gender stereotypes. They had permanently removed the image which included the text “EASY TO INSTALL” and “Girls can also install it easily” from all listings. They also said they had reviewed their marketing content, replacing similar language with gender-neutral wording such as “Easy to install, even for beginners”, and had introduced additional internal checks for new marketing copy.
Amazon Europe Core Sarl t/a Amazon said the ad was in breach of their policies and had taken steps to address this.
Assessment
Upheld
The CAP Code stated that ads must not include gender stereotypes that were likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence. It also stated that particular care must be taken to avoid causing offense on the grounds of gender. The joint CAP and BCAP “Advertising guidance on depicting gender stereotypes likely to cause harm or serious or widespread offence” said that gender-stereotypical roles included occupations or positions usually associated with a specific gender, while gender-stereotypical characteristics included attributes or behaviours usually associated with a specific gender. It further stated that ads that directly contrasted male and female stereotypical roles or characteristics needed to be handled with care, and that care should be taken to avoid suggesting that stereotypical roles or characteristics were always uniquely associated with one gender and care should be taken to avoid suggesting that stereotypical roles or characteristics were never carried out or displayed by another gender.
We understood that there was a long-established negative stereotype that men were more competent than women and girls at DIY and home installation. One of the product images stated “EASY TO INSTALL” and, underneath, “Girls can also install it easily”, alongside images showing the installation steps.
We considered that consumers were likely to interpret the claim “Girls can also install it easily” as suggesting that installing a shelf would typically be a man’s responsibility, and that it was notable or surprising that girls could do so. We also considered that the term “Girls” would be understood to refer broadly to women, rather than exclusively to children. In that context, we considered the wording was likely to be understood as a comment on women’s competence at carrying out DIY tasks compared with men, and to imply more generally that tasks such as installing shelves would ordinarily be undertaken by men.
For these reasons, we concluded that the ad included a gender stereotype that was likely to cause harm and serious offence and breached the Code.
The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 4.1 and 4.9 (Harm and Offence).
Action
The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told linyixiansanrenwangluokejiyouxiangongsi t/a IDJRDDF to ensure they did not present gender stereotypes in a way that was likely to cause harm and serious offence.
