CHAPTER 11
Sexualisation of children and objectification of women in the media
11.1
Term of reference (k) refers to the effectiveness of the National Classification
Scheme in preventing the sexualisation of children and the objectification of
women in all media, including advertising.
11.2
In relation to the prevention of the sexualisation of children in the
media, the committee notes the 2008 report of the Senate Environment, Communications
and the Arts Committee (ECA Committee), Sexualisation of children in the
contemporary media (ECA Committee report). The ECA Committee report recommended
that steps taken to address the issue by industry bodies and others should be
further considered by the Senate in 18 months. The committee notes that it has
been three years since the ECA Committee tabled its report and the matter has
not been given further consideration by the Senate until the current inquiry.
Previous Senate inquiry
11.3
The ECA Committee report's first recommendation noted:
...that the inappropriate sexualisation of children in
Australia is of increasing concern...[T]he [ECA] Committee believes that
preventing the premature sexualisation of children is a significant cultural
challenge. This is a community responsibility which demands action by society.
In particular, the onus is on broadcasters, publishers, advertisers, retailers
and manufacturers to take account of these community concerns.[1]
11.4
The ECA Committee made a number of recommendations to address its
concern with respect to the sexualisation of children in the media, including:[2]
-
The ACMA should consider revising the requirement that Children's
Television Standard (CTS) content be broadcast for at least half an hour per
day to enable broadcasters to schedule it in extended blocks at times which are
more likely to attract children to watch it (Recommendation 3);
-
Broadcasters should review their classification of music videos
specifically with regard to sexualised imagery (Recommendation 4);
-
Broadcasters should consider establishing dedicated children's
television channels (Recommendation 5); and
-
The Advertising Standards Board should produce a consolidated
half-yearly list of all complaints, including those received by phone, where
the impact of an advertisement on children, however described, is a factor in
the complaint (Recommendation 9).
11.5
In its response to the ECA Committee's report, the Australian Government:
-
supported Recommendation 3, indicating that a draft CTS, released
in August 2008, provided for flexible scheduling of children's programs;
-
noted Recommendation 4, and stated that complaints statistics
indicated that only a small percentage of complaints received by broadcasters
were in relation to music videos;
-
noted Recommendation 5, and provided funding for the ABC for the
establishment and ongoing costs of a digital children's channel; and
-
noted Recommendation 9, but recognised that the Advertising
Standards Board is an independent organisation.[3]
Addressing sexualisation of children and objectification of women
11.6
There are several mechanisms in place which aim to address the
sexualisation of children and the objectification of women in all forms of
media in Australia.
National Classification Scheme
11.7
The Attorney-General's Department's (Department) submission noted the Australian
Government's involvement with changes in the advertising industry to address
the sexualisation of children.[4]
11.8
The Director of the Classification Board also noted material which may
be Refused Classification, and referred the committee to his evidence to the
ECA Committee in 2008. In evidence to that committee, the Director stated:
Depictions of exploitative child nudity and sexual activity
involving a child, sexual abuse or other exploitative or offensive depictions
involving children are routinely refused classification.
The classification scheme does not prevent the exploration of
strong themes or the expression of controversial views. As such, films may deal
with the issues of child sexual abuse and children's sexuality. The critical
point for classification is how such issues are dealt with by the filmmaker.
A key element of classification information is consumer
advice, which the [Classification Board] formulates when making classification
decisions. Consumer advice, which is published along with the product, provides
consumers with greater clarity in terms of the content that can be expected.
Consumer advice generally lists the principal elements which
have contributed to the classification of a film and indicates their intensity
and/or frequency. It can also be used to alert consumers to serious or
potentially distressing content.[5]
Television
11.9
The committee received evidence from various television networks and industry
bodies in relation to measures that the television industry is taking to
address the sexualisation of children and the objectification of women on
television. The committee notes that a number of those initiatives are direct
responses to recommendations in the ECA Committee's report.
11.10
In its submission, Free TV Australia advised:
[N]etworks take classification very seriously and are very
mindful of the need to protect children from harmful images, including those
which present overly sexual content or unhealthy gender stereotypes.[6]
11.11
Free TV Australia's submission specifically referred to the provisions
of the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice (Code of Practice):
[T]he depiction of certain sexual conduct, including explicit
sexual acts [is prohibited]. It also contains an advisory note on the depiction
of men and women in reporting and programming, which provides guidance on such
issues as gender stereotypes and the portrayal of sexual violence.
The Code of Practice also contains provisions proscribing
discrimination based on gender (Clause 1.9.6) and the presentation of reality
television participants in a highly (sexually) demeaning or highly exploitative
manner (Clause 1.9.7).[7]
11.12
In evidence to the committee, Ms Julie Flynn from Free TV Australia
noted that, in response to the ECA Committee's report, the ACMA has developed a
new CTS.[8]
Free TV Australia's submission expanded on the role of the CTS:
All networks have specialised children's programming which is
classified by the ACMA under the CTS. The CTS strictly prohibits the broadcast
of material that may unduly distress children or encourage them to engage in
dangerous behaviours.[9]
11.13
Free TV Australia's submission noted the conclusions of the ECA
Committee in its report that the sexualisation of children in content and
advertising during Preschool (P) and Children (C) programming was 'not an
issue'.[10]
11.14
Ms Flynn also indicated that commercial television networks have adopted
the Australian Association of National Advertisers' (AANA) Code for Advertising
and Marketing Communications to Children, which is discussed further below.
11.15
The ABC stated that it 'treats its responsibility to the community
seriously and the classification of broadcast content and music videos is
treated with due care and attention'.[11]
In terms of addressing the issues of the sexualisation of children and the
objectification of women, the ABC's submission referred to the ABC's Editorial
Policies:
[I]n presenting content, the ABC has a responsibility to
treat all sections of society with respect and to avoid the unnecessary use of
prejudicial content...
[S]pecial care should be taken to ensure that content which
children are likely to watch or access unsupervised should not be harmful or disturbing
to children.[12]
11.16
The ABC's submission also noted the role of its complaints-handling
framework in providing an avenue to address concerns about the ABC's television
classifications.[13]
11.17
As noted above, the ECA Committee recommended in its report that
broadcasters should consider establishing dedicated children's television
channels as an initiative to reduce the harmful impact of the premature
sexualisation of children.[14] In December 2009, the ABC
launched its digital children's channel which, according to the ABC, is 'the
most watched television service in Australia among children less than 12 years
of age'.[15]
Advertising
11.18
The Communications Council stated in its submission that 'advertisers,
and their agencies take community concerns about the sexualisation of children
and objectification of women seriously'.[16]
Sexualisation of children
11.19
The Advertising Standards Bureau noted that it refers to the sexualisation
of children in two contexts: first, the depiction of children in advertisements
in sexualised poses; and, second, the exposure of children to sexualised images,
themes or words in advertising.[17]
11.20
The Advertising Standards Bureau set out how the relevant provisions
operate in relation to sexualised images of children in advertising:
The AANA Code of Ethics (Code of Ethics) contains a
requirement that "Advertising or Marketing Communications to Children"[18]
shall comply with the AANA Code for Advertising and Marketing Communications to
Children (Children's Code).
The relevant provision of the Children's Code that
specifically addresses the sexualisation of children is Section 2.4, which
provides:
Advertising or Marketing Communications to Children:
a) must
not include sexual imagery in contravention of Prevailing Community Standards;
b) must
not state or imply that Children are sexual beings and that ownership or enjoyment
of a Product will enhance their sexuality.[19]
11.21
The Advertising Standards Bureau noted that section 2.4 of the
Children's Code was inserted in early 2008 as part of a review of the
Children's Code by the AANA.[20]
11.22
The Advertising Standards Bureau stated that sexualised images of
children may also be addressed under section 2.3 of the Code of Ethics, which
provides:
Advertising or Marketing Communications shall treat sex,
sexuality and nudity with sensitivity to the relevant audience and, where
appropriate, the relevant programme time zone.[21]
11.23
In addition, the Advertising Standards Bureau advised that images of
children must also meet the requirements of section 2.6 of the Code of Ethics:
Advertising or Marketing Communications shall not depict
material contrary to Prevailing Community Standards on health and safety.[22]
11.24
The Advertising Standards Bureau noted that the Advertising Standards
Board could apply section 2.6 of the Code of Ethics through consideration of
'whether sexualised images of children breach community standards on child
health or safety'.[23]
11.25
In terms of protecting children from exposure to sexualised images,
themes or words, the Advertising Standards Bureau again noted the provisions in
section 2.3 of the Code of Ethics and section 2.4 of the Children's Code. In
particular, the Australian Standards Bureau highlighted that section 2.3 of the
Code of Ethics provides for a 'relevant audience' test, which provides
flexibility to consider the different audiences that may exist for different
media, locations and time zones.[24]
11.26
The Advertising Standards Bureau also provided the committee with
details of the numbers of complaints in relation to sexualised images of
children and exposure of children to sexualised images, themes or words, along
with specific examples in relation to the Advertising Standards Board's
consideration of complaints.[25]
Objectification of women
11.27
The Advertising Standards Bureau informed the committee about
initiatives the advertising industry has taken to address the issue of
objectification of women:
Complaints raising issues about the objectification of women
may fall within Section 2.3 of the Code of Ethics, relating to the treatment of
sex, sexuality or nudity, or Section 2.1 of the Code of Ethics, which includes
discrimination and vilification on the basis of sex...
Section 2.1 provides:
Advertising or Marketing Communications shall not portray
people or depict material in a way which discriminates against or vilifies a
person or section of the community on account of race, ethnicity, nationality,
sex, age, sexual preference, religion, disability or political belief.[26]
11.28
The Advertising Standards Bureau noted that the Advertising Standards Board
has:
...consistently interpreted this term to include not just the
physical characteristics of being a man or a woman (such as having breasts or
being pregnant), but to also include discrimination or vilification on the
basis of gender.[27]
11.29
The Australian Standards Bureau provided the committee with details of
complaints received in relation to the objectification of women, and also
specific examples of how the Advertising Board has considered complaints in
relation to this issue.[28]
Outdoor media
11.30
The committee notes that the Outdoor Media Association (OMA) has its own
Code of Ethics in which the OMA endorses the AANA's Code of Ethics and
Children's Code.[29]
Recorded music
11.31
In its submission, the Australian Music Retailers Association (AMRA) and
the Australian Recording Industry Association Limited (ARIA) set out how the
ARIA/AMRA Recorded Music Labelling Code of Practice (ARIA/AMRA Labelling Code)
addresses the issues of the sexualisation of children and the objectification
of women. Noting that the ARIA/AMRA Labelling Code is 'conceptually parallel'
to the National Classification Scheme, and that community standards are
inherent in the National Classification Scheme, ARIA/AMRA argued:
The [ARIA/AMRA Labelling Code] guidelines are sufficiently
broad...to encompass the sexualisation of children and objectification of women
when these issues arise in lyrics.
The [ARIA/AMRA Labelling Code] guidelines are based on the
degree of impact on the listener, generally assessed by looking at the
explicitness and aggression in the language, as well as themes and reference to
sex, violence, drug use and other matters. The low level of complaints about
classified recorded audio product indicates that the link in standards in the
[ARIA/AMRA Labelling Code] with the National Classification Scheme is
delivering a system consistent with the expectations of the community, suggesting
that community standards currently are being satisfactorily reflected. In the
absence of any other mechanism to measure effectiveness, we can conclude that
the [ARIA/AMRA Labelling Code] is giving adequate advice regarding these
issues, and is sensitive to them.[30]
11.32
In evidence to the committee, representatives from AMRA and ARIA
indicated that those organisations have not reviewed their code since the ECA
Committee's report:
[W]e have not [reviewed the AMRA/ARIA Labelling Code] since
the 2008 report....[P]robably in 2006 we had a series of discussions with the [Office
of Film and Literature Classification] at that time, reviewing the first three
years or so of the application of the code. We took on board then their
community values reflection. We took on board their most recent update of that
information. The last formal examination of it would be somewhere around that 2006
period.[31]
Is enough being done to prevent the sexualisation of children and the
objectification of women in all media?
11.33
The committee received substantial evidence in relation to the issue of
whether the National Classification Scheme is effective in preventing the
sexualisation of children and the objectification of women in all forms of
media.
11.34
For example, in relation to the prevention of the objectification of
women, Women's Health Victoria asserted:
[We do] not believe that the National Classification Scheme
has been successful in responding to the objectification of women, particularly
in relation to advertising. The national voluntary system of advertising
self-regulation is ineffective in preventing the objectification of women.
This is related to the fact that objectification is not
identified as a separate factor in the Australian Association of National
Advertisers' Advertiser Code of Ethics...As it currently stands, the Code [of
Ethics] does not differentiate between experiences of discrimination or
vilification, and objectification. Discrimination and vilification are distinct
from objectification, which is particularly relevant to women's experiences.[32]
11.35
In contrast, Mr Robert Harvey argued that the 'National Classification
scheme has never had [the] objective' of preventing the sexualisation of
children and the objectification of women, noting that the role of the scheme is
purely advisory.[33]
11.36
The Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA)
noted that neither the National Classification Code, nor the Guidelines for
the Classification of Films and Computer Games, specifically address these
issues:
...[T]he [National Classification] Code already contains significant
protections for children, providing that minors should be protected from
material likely to harm or disturb them, and that everyone should be protected
from exposure to unsolicited material that they find offensive. The Guidelines [for
the Classification of Films and Computer Games] expressly prohibit depictions
of child sexual abuse or any other exploitative or offensive descriptions or
depictions involving a person who is, or appears to be, a child under 18 years.
To the extent that the sexualisation of children and the
objectification of women in the media are issues of community concern, it is
noted that the Guidelines are intended to be interpreted in accordance with
prevailing community attitudes.[34]
11.37
The Australian Council on Children and the Media also noted the absence
of provisions addressing these issues in the National Classification Code:
The [National Classification Code] is not effective in
preventing either the sexualisation of children or the objectification of
women. There are no laws that directly confront the dissemination of material
that encourages children to see sexiness as a measure of success, nor as important
for their self concept.[35]
Research and studies
11.38
The committee sought the assistance of witnesses in providing research and
studies with respect to the impact of the sexualisation of children and the
objectification of women, as well as community concerns in relation to these
issues.
Sexualisation of children
11.39
In its report, the ECA Committee referred to two articles by The
Australia Institute published in 2006 on the issue of the sexualisation of
children in the contemporary media: Corporate paedophilia: sexualisation of
children in the media (Corporate paedophilia report); and Letting
children be children: stopping the sexualisation of children in Australia (Letting
children be children report). The ECA Committee noted that these articles
'prompted considerable public debate'.[36]
11.40
The Corporate paedophilia report analysed the sexualisation of
children aged 12 and under in relation to three types of cultural material:
advertising (both print and television); girls' magazines; and television
programs (including music video-clips). The report discussed the potential harm
to children of 'sexualising pressure', including:
-
the evidence of a link between exposure to the ideal 'slim, toned'
body type that is considered sexy for adults and the development of eating
disorders in older children and teenagers; and
-
the psychological impact of the sexualisation of children, such
as increasing body dissatisfaction among children and an escalation in the
level of sexual behaviour as an attention-seeking mechanism.[37]
11.41
The Letting children be children report discussed the regulatory
framework in relation to media and advertising, and the reason that the
framework is failing to prevent the sexualisation of children. Specifically, the
Letting children be children report called for:
existing codes of practice for advertising, television
programming and children's magazines [to] be amended to allow for recognition
of the fact that sexualising children, whether directly or indirectly, leads to
a range of risks for children...[38]
11.42
The authors of the Letting children be children report also noted
the impact that technological developments are having, and suggested a 'restructuring
[of] the current regulatory environment to bring all media regulation together
under the one organisation', which would provide the opportunity to address the
sexualisation of children.[39]
11.43
Submissions and witnesses to this inquiry also noted the findings of the
Corporate Paedophilia and Letting children be children reports.[40]
11.44
A number of submissions referred the committee to a report of the
American Psychological Association (APA) in relation to the sexualisation of
girls.[41]
The APA summarised some of the consequences of sexualisation of girls in the
media:
First, there is evidence that girls exposed to [sexualising]
and objectifying media are more likely to experience body dissatisfaction,
depression, and lower self esteem...Self objectification has been shown to
diminish cognitive ability and to cause shame. This cognitive diminishment, as
well as the belief that physical appearance rather than academic or extracurricular
achievement is the best path to power and acceptance, may influence girls'
achievement levels and opportunities later in life.
Girls' sexual development may also be affected as they are
exposed to models of passivity, and studies indicate that the media may
influence a girl's perceptions of her own virginity or first sexual experience.
Interpersonally, girls' relationships with other girls are affected, as such relationships
can become policing grounds where girls support or reject other girls for
reasons having to do with conformity to a narrow beauty ideal that involves a [sexualised]
presentation or competition for boys' attention. Girls' relationships with boys
and men are affected in that exposure to [sexualising] and objectifying media
has been shown to relate to girls' and boys' views on dating, boys' sexual
harassment of girls, and attitudes toward sexual violence.[42]
11.45
In terms of community perceptions with respect to the sexualisation of
children, the Advertising Standards Bureau referred to research that it had
commissioned into community perceptions of sex, sexuality and nudity in 2010.[43]
The premature sexualisation of children was identified by respondents to the
research as a key factor that contributes to unacceptable advertising:
Respondents were unanimously sensitive to ads containing
sexualised representations of teenagers and children, modelled on 'sexy'
adults. The sexual innuendo and undertones within ads featuring and directed at
young teenagers was also seen to be highly unacceptable...
Respondents spontaneously raised concerns that these age
inappropriate depictions of females in advertising encourage children to adopt
sexualised appearances and behaviour at too early an age.[44]
Objectification of women
11.46
In relation to studies which identify the impacts of the objectification
of women in the media, a number of submissions referred the committee to the
work of the Portrayal of Women Advisory Committee (PWAC) regarding the
portrayal of women in outdoor advertising.[45]
Women's Health Victoria summarised the issues that PWAC identified in that
regard, including:
-
failure to represent the diversity of women in terms of body size
and shape, as well as race, sexuality, disability and religion;
-
use of women's bodies and body parts to sell products, for
example, use of images which only show parts of women's bodies or depictions of
women as inanimate objects for consumption; and
-
association between women with sex, with women represented as
sexual objects and/or as sexually available.[46]
11.47
The PWAC's report was released in 2002. Collective Shout, however, noted
in its submission that it was unaware of any of the recommendations from that
report being acted upon.[47]
11.48
Media Standards Australia referred the committee to a report of the
European Parliament's Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality on how marketing
and advertising affects equality between men and women. The Explanatory Statement
to that report noted:
Research shows that the norms created by gender stereotypes
in advertising objectify people, in the sense that both women and men—although
women have suffered more up until now—are represented as objects. Reducing a
human to an object leaves the individual exposed to violence and insults.
Objectification in advertising is of key importance for the process by which an
individual builds his/her identity and for how an image is perceived as
'normal'. Stereotyping relates to ideas about women and men and the
relationships between them. Stereotyping in advertising is also seen as an
instrument of power. The objective of gender equality policy is for everyone to
have the power to shape society and their own existence. Constant exposure to
objectifying and stereotyped messages impedes this objective.[48]
11.49
The Australian Standards Bureau's research into community perceptions of
sex, sexuality and nudity also identified the 'reinforcement of women as sexual
objects' as a key factor that contributed to an advertisement being
unacceptable to respondents in the research:
Respondents were highly sensitive to ads which objectify
women because in their view such ads reinforce and desensitise women as
sexualised 'objects'. They believe such ads portray women in this way to the
broad community and are particularly concerned about the effect of such ads on
developing and impressionable young women.
Again, ads which portray women as sexualised 'objects' were
seen to put young females at risk of mimicking or aspiring to these
unacceptable [sex, sexuality and nudity] attitudes and behaviours (eg risky and
premature sexual behaviours, self esteem and body image issues). Respondents
also tied this issue back to their concerns about children's exposure.[49]
Improvements to the National
Classification Scheme
11.50
The committee received evidence in relation to how the National Classification
Scheme, and other regulatory frameworks for media, could be improved to address
the issue of sexualisation of children and the objectification of women in the
media.
11.51
For example, Ms Melinda Tankard Reist from Collective Shout called for a
major overhaul of the National Classification Scheme:
...[W]ith the primary goal of making it more effective in
reducing the prevalence and availability of material in all media which
contains images or words which reduce women to sex objects, which condone or
celebrate sexual violence against women and which promote the sexualisation of
children.[50]
11.52
In contrast, Ms Irene Graham indicated that she does not support any
changes to the National Classification Scheme for the purpose of preventing the
objectification of women:
[Any] such changes would be increased censorship, and censorship
is a blunt and largely ineffective tool in terms of changing societal views or
attitudes (particularly since the advent some 20 years ago of the world-wide
communications system known as the Internet). Changes to classification
criteria would...result in censorship of productions by women—history shows
that censorship allegedly intended to 'protect' women has also censored female voices/productions.[51]
11.53
The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) stated that the National
Classification Scheme has taken inadequate account of the dual concerns of the
sexualisation of children and the objectification of women. ACL suggested that
changes to the Guidelines for the Classification of Films and Computer Games
would address these issues:
As the classification ratings in the Commercial Television
Industry Code of Practice largely reflect the Guidelines for the
Classification of Films and Computer Games, changes to the latter would
cause there to be inducement for the television industry to also adopt any pro‐child or pro‐woman measure of the
nature proposed when its Code is next updated.
ACL suggests that the Guidelines for the Classification of
Films and Computer Games should be amended so that any item that sexualises
children is given a Refused Classification Rating. Any item that objectifies
women as sexual objects must be given an M rating or above. The use of context
should not preclude an item with such content from receiving the designated
classification rating. Members of the Classification Board should be given
appropriate training on how to identify, and understand the social impacts of
sexualising children and objectifying women in the media.[52]
11.54
Similarly, Salt Shakers suggested expanding the scope of the National
Classification Scheme guidelines to encompass all forms of advertising:
Advertising needs to be controlled and restricted. The use of
sex to sell items and services is not a new phenomenon but it seems to be
getting out of hand.
Parents lack control over what advertisements are shown on
television. Because of this, broadcasting agencies should err on the side of
caution and avoid using advertisements which have sexual themes.
However, the broadcasting agencies have failed to do this
and, therefore...the classification Guidelines should be expanded to regulate advertisements
of all types.[53]
11.55
Women's Health Victoria suggested changes to the AANA's Code of Ethics
to address the objectification of women in advertising, and specifically referred
to a provision in New Zealand's Advertising Code of Practice which
incorporates the concept of objectification in addressing how people are
represented in advertising:
Advertisements should not employ sexual appeal in a manner
which is exploitative and degrading of any individual or group of people in
society to promote the sale of products or services. In particular people
should not be portrayed in a manner which uses sexual appeal simply to draw
attention to an unrelated product. Children must not be portrayed in a manner
which treats them as objects of sexual appeal.[54]
11.56
Women's Health Victoria noted that, although this provision mentions
objectification of children (rather than women), it demonstrates how broader
principles of objectification could be incorporated into the AANA's Code of
Ethics.[55]
11.57
Women's Health Victoria provided the committee with a list of similar
provisions from advertising codes around the English-speaking world, containing
specific sections about the representation of women. For example, the Code of
Standards for Advertising, Promotional and Direct Marketing in Ireland has the
following clauses in relation to 'Decency and Propriety':
2.17 Marketing communications should respect the principle of
the equality of men and women. They should avoid sex stereotyping and any
exploitation or demeaning of men and women. Where appropriate, marketing
communications should use generic terms that include both the masculine and
feminine gender; for example, the term 'business executive' covers both men and
women.
2.18 To avoid causing offence, marketing communications
should be responsive to the diversity in Irish society and marketing
communications which portray or refer to people within [particular] groups...should:
a) respect
the principle of equality in any depiction of these groups;
b) fully
respect their dignity and not subject them to ridicule or offensive humour;
c) avoid
stereotyping and negative or hurtful images;
d) not
exploit them for unrelated marketing purposes;
e) not
ridicule or exploit religious beliefs, symbols, rites or practices.
2.19 Advertisers should take account of public sensitivities
in the preparation and publication of marketing communications and avoid the
exploitation of sexuality and the use of coarseness and undesirable innuendo.
They should not use offensive or provocative copy or images merely to attract
attention...[A]dvertisers are urged to consider public sensitivities before
using potentially offensive material.[56]
11.58
The Anglican Public Affairs Commission advocated for a review of the
various codes of practice administered by the Advertising Standards Bureau and
expansion of the National Classification Scheme to include advertising.[57]
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