While many companies are criticized for their portrayal of women in their advertisements and brochures, furniture giant IKEA is being criticized for something else: not portraying enough of them.
Swedish home furnishings giant IKEA is promising to depict more women in its instruction manuals after Norway’s prime minister accused it of showing only men assembling furniture.“IKEA will now review its instructions leaflets to get a more even balance between men and women,” IKEA said in a statement on Thursday. The privately owned group has 208 stores in 32 countries.IKEA said it already used pictures of women in its leaflets alongside men and cartoon figures whose sex is left unclear.
Needless to say, the critics aren’t placated by androgynous cartoon characters. But nice try.
While this might be the result of the chauvenistic belief that men are the ones who assemble furniture (while the women patiently stand by, beer in one hand, and freshly baked muffins in the other), the President of Norway has another explanation.
Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik earlier criticised IKEA for failing to depict women and linked it to an apparent fear of upsetting some Muslims.“This isn’t good enough,” he was quoted as telling the Norwegian daily Verdens Gang. “It’s important to promote attitudes for sexual equality, not least in Muslim nations.”
And we wouldn’t want to do that.
