Committees of Advertising Practice (Cap) said on Thursday that advertising that uses potentially harmful gender stereotypes such as mothers cleaning up after the family alone or fathers failing at simple household tasks is to be banned next year.
The decision follows a review earlier this year which found that some advertising could reinforce harmful gender stereotypes, which in turn could restrict the choices, aspirations and opportunities of children, young people and adults.
Natalie Collins, who trains youth workers and owns consultancy Spark agreed with Cap.
She told Premier: "We can often underestimate the impact of adverts, but companies pay an awful lot of money to advertise because they know how powerful it is in selling products.
"When those adverts include stereotyping or limiting the capacity of men, women, boys and girls, then that's really problematic for how that influences how our society looks."
Campaigns that suggest a specific activity is inappropriate for boys because it is stereotypically associated with girls and vice versa are also likely to be banned.
The new rule will not ban all forms of gender stereotypes, with evidence falling short of calling for a ban on ads depicting scenarios such as a woman cleaning or a man doing DIY tasks.
Collins added: "This isn't about political correctness, it's about ensuring all of us can flourish in society and we can live in a society which isn't limiting people to really restrictive roles."
According to the Advertising Standards Authority, companies had responded positively and constructively to its report with suggestions for voluntary action, but said it welcomed Cap's decision as there was "more to do".
Listen to Natalie Collins speaking with Premier's Alex Williams :
