According to a report by the Association of Communication Users and the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030, 57.6% of advertisements feature girls and boys together, compared to 52% in the 2022-2023 campaign. In 2021-22 the figure was 35.1%, which shows a very positive trend.
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Treatment of boys and girls in toy advertising
On the occasion of 8 March, the Association of Communication Users has published a preview of the results of its analysis and monitoring of toy advertising in the 2024 campaign, which it is carrying out in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030. According to its results, the changes introduced in 2022 in the Code of Self-Regulation of Children’s Toy Advertising, signed by the Spanish Association of Toy Manufacturers, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Autocontrol, in terms of sexism and gender stereotyping, are leading to a more equal treatment of girls and boys in such advertising.
The progress, based on a random sample of a hundred television advertisements, shows that 57.6% of these have a joint presence of girls and boys, compared to 52% in the 2022-2023 campaign. In previous campaigns it was around one third of the spots.
In addition, the trend towards the incorporation of girls as protagonists in advertisements not traditionally considered as “girls'” is improving or continuing. Their presence together with that of boys in the case of advertising for constructions, models and puzzles is 80% (80.9% in the previous campaign) and 100% for electronic devices (93.8% in the previous campaign). In the case of educational and electronic toys, the presence of girls has increased significantly: 100 % in this campaign, compared to 60.8 % in the previous one.
In terms of diversity, just over a third of the ads in the sample (35.4%) meet the criterion of diversity of ethnicity or origin. This presence exceeds 50%, as in the previous year, in those advertisements featuring children.
Although the data support the effectiveness of the self-regulatory code, there is still room for improvement. The positive trend is particularly noticeable in the case of girls, whose presence and prominence extends to practically all types of toys advertised. However, in the case of the image of boys, there is a more rigid and stereotyped treatment and a greater resistance to visualising their presence and prominence concerning toys traditionally considered as “girls’ toys”. This is particularly the case with advertising related to aesthetics, fashion and accessories (70% exclusive presence of girls), advertising related to the domestic and family environment (75%) or dolls (67%).
The Secretary General for Consumer Affairs and Gaming, Bibiana Medialdea, said: “We value these data very positively. For example, 57.6% of toy advertisements now feature both boys and girls. Two years ago they were only a third of the total. This is a very important leap, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the new advertising code in combating sexism in toys. Another fact to celebrate: the presence of girls in advertisements for educational and electronic toys increased from 60.8% to 100% this past Christmas. Clearly, there is still much room for improvement. The incorporation of boys in categories traditionally considered feminine is slower, with a much more stereotypical treatment persisting. There is still a lot of work to be done.