// Amazon accused of sexism by a women’s rights charity after featuring ads of women using cleaning products
// Fawcett Society said the online retailer was “lazily reinforcing outmoded gender roles”
// Amazon has been urged to alter the ads
Amazon has been accused of sexism by a women’s rights charity after featuring ads that exclusively show women using cleaning products.
Fawcett Society has criticised the online retailer for “lazily reinforcing outmoded gender roles” after female models were used to pose with dustpans and other cleaning items in many adverts.
Amazon has since been urged to alter the ads by the charity, which also said the site’s listings are “half a century behind the time”.
READ MORE: International Women’s Day: How can retailers avoid tokenism?
The retailer recently had its annual Prime Day sale, which was a “record-breaking event for small and medium businesses” as third-party seller sales grew more than Amazon’s own.
Third-party sellers, which now account for more than 60 per cent of total sales at Amazon, saw sales grow nearly 60 per cent compared to Prime Day 2019, surpassing $3.5 billion for the first time.
Fawcett Society chief executive Sam Smethers said Amazon’s ads send a “damaging message” to women and to men, particularly as Amazon has a huge reach.
Despite the complaints from the charity, the Advertising Standards Authority, which bans gender stereotypes, said it had received no complaints.
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