HACA: Persistence of discriminatory representation of women in television advertising

Hibapress

The High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA) organized an interactive workshop on April 2, 2024 to present the results of its study on the representation of women in audiovisual advertising during the month of Ramadan from 2020 to 2023.

This study, carried out as part of HACA’s commitment to promoting parity, analyzed more than 750 advertising spots broadcast in prime time on public television channels.

During this event, Ms. Latifa Akharbach, President of HACA, presented the main results of this study, highlighting both positive developments and the persistence of discriminatory stereotypes against women in many advertising communications.

Among the notable advances, we can cite the reduction in the number of advertisements containing gender stereotypes. Indeed, the share of non-stereotypical advertisements has increased 5-fold in 9 years, going from 9% in 2014 to 51% in 2023. Furthermore, the HACA has observed a trend towards more diversity and balance in representation women and men in advertisements in certain sectors.

However, it is clear that gendered clichés persist in many advertisements. Women are still predominantly assigned to the domestic sphere, despite an increase in their representation in the professional sphere. Men are more frequently depicted in positions of power and control, while women are more often relegated to subordinate roles. In addition, many advertising communications convey messages and scenarios that legitimize the mental burden of women as primary and sometimes exclusive responsible for the well-being of the family, the performance of household chores and the care of children.

At the conclusion of this workshop, in which many actors and institutions concerned by the issue participated, Ms. Akharbach launched a call for collective mobilization in favor of a fair and balanced representation of women in the media. According to her, “the discriminatory and stereotypical representation of women and men in the media hinders the potential of societies in terms of development and democratization”. While the decisive project of the reform of the Moudawana is open in our country, she believes that “the consolidation of the culture of parity, diversity and civic equality appears to be an emergency and a fundamental asset to succeed in the reforms and perpetuate the achievements in this area.

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