Soohyun Lee- Tefal Ad

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fW9eP4U6SGc

This video is from Tefal commercial, which advertises an iron.
(The picture is not related to the video)

An advertisement is carefully directed to certain audience and is driven by specific objects. Also, its message is crafted to speak to that audience's most important concerns. For this advertisement, the intended audience is people who find it uncomfortable and troublesome to consistently refill water into an iron. However, just like in any other commercials that advertise household goods, in this commercial, a woman is portrayed as being responsible for domestic chores.

In these days, even though the pay gap between the sexes is narrowing and more women are gaining senior positions in the work place, I think equality at home is far from becoming a reality. As it is represented in the advertisement, women still take on the bulk of the housework and child care responsibilities. This kind of advertisement influences people to unconsciously think it is women’s job to take care of household affairs and to constantly monitor what needs to be done in the house. Children, while growing up watching these types of ad, will think the same way and if this continues to happen, inequality at home will not be ameliorated.

Women's sole responsibility for domestic chores can also lead to inequality in the work place. Women have less time for leisure and this hinders them from achieving their maximum of efficiency and reduces their ability to compete fairly at work. However, I found it ironic that whenever men try to do the cooking or cleaning, they never satisfy their partners. Eventually, women end up complaining and doing it all over again. In this aspect, I think women are holding themselves back and causing inequality. Women should abandon their inveterated thought that they are accountable for housework.