Ads showing bad female drivers and inept dads banned in UK crackdown on sexist commercials

Depictions of girls as less academic than boys, men being belittled for "unmanly" behavior, and an array of other cliched portrayals have been consigned to history in British commercials as new rules come into effect banning gender stereotypes in advertising.
The changes, announced in December and enforced from Friday onward, ban companies from using depictions of gender "that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offense."
Broadcast, online and print advertising is affected by the guidelines, which will force advertisers to discard dated and stereotypical portrayals of men and women.

Problematic adverts
Advertisers will have to tread carefully in scenarios the watchdog cites as problematic. These include commercials that show a man with his feet up while a woman cleans; a man or woman failing at a task because of their gender; suggestions that a person's physique has held them back from romantic or social success; or a man being belittled for performing stereotypically "female" tasks.
Examples of potentially problematic material given by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) include a man failing to change a nappy or a woman struggling to park a car; a commercial suggesting that mums should prioritize cleanliness or looking attractive over their emotional wellbeing; and ads that play on stereotypical ideas of gender, such as men being more "daring" or women being more "caring."
The changes follow a review by the ASA, published in 2017, which found harmful stereotypes that can be reinforced by advertising "can restrict the choices, aspirations and opportunities of children, young people and adults."
"Our evidence shows how harmful gender stereotypes in ads can contribute to inequality in society, with costs for all of us," Guy Parker, Chief Executive of the Advertising Standards Authority, said in a statement Friday.
"Put simply, we found that some portrayals in ads can, over time, play a part in limiting people's potential. It's in the interests of women and men, our economy and society that advertisers steer clear of these outdated portrayals, and we're pleased with how the industry has already begun to respond."
The rules will be applied on a case-by-case basis, with each commercial individually assessed to decide whether the code has been broken.