Labor MLA Dr Marisa Paterson wants to change gambling advertising that she believes reinforces harmful gender stereotypes.
“This International Women’s Day, I am calling on sporting codes to reflect on, and address their relationships with betting companies whilst they work to address gender inequality and increase women and girls’ participation in sport,” she said. “Surely it is time to step away from taking money that perpetuates ads on TV that reinforce damaging gender stereotypes?”
Australia’s major sporting codes work to improve women and girls’ participation in sport, Dr Paterson remarked, at both the local and the professional level, from wages and facilities for players, to the behaviour of fans.
However, Dr Paterson said, over the past decade, Australia’s sporting codes have become reliant on advertising revenue worth hundreds of millions of dollars from online wagering companies. Although children and young people are exposed to advertising of potentially harmful adult products, there is very little public critique of the actual messages gambling ads perpetuate.
- Marisa Paterson MLA calls for TV gambling ad ban (28 September 2022)
- ACT Labor supports the Bets Off, Game On campaign (17 October 2022)
“Australians are inundated with gambling ads daily – every 91 seconds on free-to-air TV,” Dr Paterson said. “And almost all of these ads target men and male traits, male dominated workplaces, male celebrity identities, male cultural, language, and behavioural stereotypes. If women are ever depicted, they are hyper-sexualised and passive objects present only to serve the men in the adverts. We know how gender stereotyping reinforces inequalities, promotes sexist behaviour and attitudes, and perpetuates violence against women.
“It is somewhat ironic that as much as these sports are working to address gender bias and inequality in their sport, they perpetuate advertising that explicitly reinforces stereotypical assumptions of gender that they are trying to counter,” Dr Paterson said.
Louise Burrows, a professional ACT rugby player, said: “Sport is often seen as an opportunity for women to feel respected equal and empowered. Unfortunately, through certain sponsorships displayed on team uniforms and advertising that play on TV throughout sporting games, these only perpetuate the gender stereotypes that we work so hard to address. We need to do better, be better, now and for the future.”
Dr Paterson will write to the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports and all the ACT branches of the Australian Football League (AFL); Cricket Australia (CA); Football Australia (FA); National Rugby League (NRL); Netball Australia (NA); Rugby Australia (RA); and Tennis Australia (TA) about this issue.
