UN Women campaign highlights search results bias - Women should.....
(Brussels, 22 October 2013) Internet search giant Google is an online repository for many things, but a recent campaign run by UN Women is highlighting deeply ingrained sexism that is present online.
Searching google today, using ’women should’ and ’women should not’ as terms, we found the following search results come up as most popular.
UN Women is running this advertising campaign to highlight the clear and present sexism. A series of ads, developed as a creative idea for UN Women by Memac Ogilvy & Mather Dubai, uses genuine Google searches to reveal the widespread prevalence of sexism and discrimination against women. Based on searches dated 9 March, 2013 the ads expose negative sentiments ranging from stereotyping as well as outright denial of women’s rights.
“When we came across these searches, we were shocked by how negative they were and decided we had to do something with them,” says Christopher Hunt, Art Director of the creative team. The idea developed places the text of the Google searches over the mouths of women portraits, as if to silence their voices.
“The ads are shocking because they show just how far we still have to go to achieve gender equality. They are a wake up call, and we hope that the message will travel far,” adds Kareem Shuhaibar, copy writer.
For UN Women, the searches confirm the urgent need to continue making the case for women’s rights, empowerment and equality, a cause the organization is pursuing around the world. UN Women is heartened by the initial strong reaction to the ads and hopes they will spark constructive dialogue globally.
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag: #womenshould
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- women need to be seen as equal
- women cannot accept the way things are
- women shouldn’t suffer from discrimination anymore
- women should have the right to make their own decisions
