Unstereotype Alliance, a thought and action platform convened by UN Women to eradicate gender stereotypes in advertisements and the media, has launched its UAE National Chapter.
The launch comes as over half of the people in the UAE believe the media only portrays women and men in certain traditional roles, according to a UN Women’s Gender Equality Attitudes Study.
Moreover, recent research conducted by the Advertising Business Group, an advertising industry association, and Zayed University concluded that the majority of television ads in the Gulf region continue to perpetuate traditional gender stereotypes and do not realistically portray the increasingly progressive role of women in the region.
Unstereotype Alliance chose to launch its first Middle East chapter in the UAE.
“This speaks to the commitment and progress the UAE has made on the women’s empowerment agenda, both in setting high standards of women’s inclusion and leadership in both the public and private sector,” said Dr Mouza Al Shehhi, director of the UN Women Liaison Office for the GCC.
“I have no doubt that this alliance of committed partners will create positive change in the media and advertising industry here in the UAE and contribute to creating a more gender-equal world,” she added.
“The UAE and the General Women’s Union are proud to support the launch of the UAE National Chapter of the Unstereotype Alliance,” said Noura Al Suwaidi, director-general of the General Women’s Union, the UAE’s leading entity dedicated to women’s empowerment.
“As the first country in the Middle East region and the sixth country in the world to host this initiative convened by UN Women, we are honoured to be able to contribute our national best practices to ensuring that women are empowered in all aspects of life to achieve their full potential,” added Al Suwaidi.
Unstereotype Alliance has partnered with a core group of seven national and global companies – Etihad Aviation Group, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Omnicom Media Group, Snap and Unilever – the Advertising Business Group and the Dubai Lynx, the premier festival of creativity in the MENA.
The UAE has already been at the forefront of women’s empowerment in the region, most notably with its presidential decree stipulating equal pay for equal work in the private sector, which was announced end of September.
Source: https://bit.ly/36a1XmE