Cannes, France – The Unstereotype Alliance, an industry-led coalition convened by UN Women to eradicate harmful stereotypes in advertising, today reveals society is awash with harmful stereotyping, with marginalized communities targeted in particular in their day-to-day lives.
Globally, three in four (73%) people state they regularly see or hear stereotyping yet only one in three (30%) will frequently say something to object to it. Half (50%) believe people do not speak up or disagree when they see someone using a negative stereotype, because they do not want to escalate the situation. Additionally, two in five (41%) believe people do not speak up or disagree with the perpetrator because they do not know what to say, highlighting an education gap on how to take a constructive stand against stereotypes.
UN Women-convened Unstereotype Alliance announces the rise of silent stereotypers, as it is revealed societies are awash with harmful stereotyping
The research, conducted across Brazil, South Africa, Türkiye, USA and UK, found that the stereotypes people experience most frequently are those of gender (57 per cent), race and ethnicity (52 per cent), sexual orientation (45 per cent) and disability (45 per cent). And that almost two thirds (63 per cent) of people believe it has become a bigger problem in recent years. Despite this, the focus is only ever on the perpetrator and victim, and not on those who stayed silent and allowed stereotyping to happen.
In response, the Unstereotype Alliance has announced ‘Say Nothing, Change Nothing’ a global campaign designed to mobilize public action. The campaign, spearheaded by star of the Black Panther movies, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and long-time activist for women’s rights, Danai Gurira, aims to raise awareness of the pervasive role harmful stereotypes play in society. The goal is to encourage conversation on the issue and provide people with resources and educational tools to proactively and safely take action. A helpful guide, Unstereotype 101, will be available from today, which explains how to safely confront stereotypes and enables people to become upstanders rather than bystanders, with three quick steps to standing up to stereotypes: Stop, See, Suggest.
Explaining her involvement, Danai Gurira, said: “Shattering stereotypes requires defiance. It isn’t always easy for people to speak out but, without change, damaging perspectives remain unchecked. We must all have the courage to stand up for what is right, and say something”.
Sara Denby, Head of the Unstereotype Alliance Secretariat at UN Women, said: “For the past six years, the Unstereotype Alliance has united advertising industry leaders, decision-makers and creatives on a shared goal: to end harmful stereotypes in advertising. Despite the headway made across the industry, stereotypes are rife the world over. They continue to stifle progress in every society, deny human rights, and diminish entire groups of people in ways that have real-life consequences. The launch of our Say Nothing, Change Nothing campaign aims to catalyze a positive movement against stereotypes. Collective action can help us drive the positive social change in society which is so desperately needed.”
