This Ad Wants Women to Be Confident in the Workplace

Women run only 4% of companies in the Fortune 500, and on average make less than men while performing the same job. There's an obvious gender bias in the workplace, and one company is being heralded for its feminist message with its criticsm of this unfair double standard.

Pantene Philippines recently released an ad depicting nearly identical workers and the different ways they're perceived by others simply by their gender. Throughout the ad, the men are described in positive attributes like "boss," "persuasive," "dedicated" and "neat." The women, performing the exact same activities, are described as "bossy," "pushy," "selfish" and "vain."

The ad concludes with one of the women walking away confidently as the tagline appears: "Don't let labels hold you back. Be strong and shine."

The ad was run only in the Philippines, but has received more than 2.9 million views on YouTube since it was posted last month. Because of the overwhelmingly positive response to their video, Pantene tells Yahoo Shine that the company "sees a real opportunity to amplify [it] with a campaign beyond the Philippines."

ABC News recently ran a profile on a study about gender bias in job interviews. Two actors, one male, one female, were filmed during a faux interview. Both candidates said the exact same things and had the exact same skills listed on their resumes, but viewers thought the female candidate was more aggressive, less likeable, and less likely to be hired than the male candidate.

Society sets certain expectations of women - to be beautiful, supportive, nurturing and modest. Women aren't encouraged to be dominant, assertive, authoritative, and other powerful traits needed to succeed in business. It's heartening to see a company put the focus on these unfair double standards and start a discussion that will inspire both genders to take a deeper look into their perceptions of female workers.

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