Australian association strengthens guidance on gender stereotypes

On 12 July, the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) launched an updated version of their Code of Ethics Practice Note, which will help advertisers and agencies understand how the AANA Code of Ethics applies gender stereotyping and be applied by the Ad Standards (local SRO) Community Panel in making its determinations.

“The AANA’s new guidance aims to reinforce responsible advertising and to provide greater guidance to advertisers and agencies so that they don’t unwittingly reinforce negative stereotypes,” said Simone Brandon, AANA’s Director of Policy & Regulatory Affairs.



The new guidance pertains to Section 2.1 of the AANA Code of Ethics which prohibits advertising that “discriminates against or vilifies a person or section of the community on account of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, sexual preference, religion, disability, mental illness or political belief.”

It includes examples that would be in breach of the Code, including an ad that depicts family members creating a mess while a woman is the only one tasked with cleaning it up or an ad that features a man trying and failing at a parental or household task.

The Code does not prohibit advertisers from featuring women or men performing tasks commonly associated with their gender, but advertisers should “avoid suggesting that a particular role is exclusively performed by men or women,” Simone added.

For more information, please contact Simone Brandon.