Covid 19 coronavirus: UK government removes 'sexist' ad following backlash

The UK government has been accused of 'sexism' following its latest Covid campaign. Photo / Twitter

The UK government has been forced to withdraw its latest Covid-19 campaign urging people to stay home, after a swift backlash over the way the campaign reinforced damaging gender stereotypes.

The ad, depicting several households, showed only one man, lounging on the sofa, and several women, all performing household chores.

The "Stay home, save lives" campaign was removed after numerous complaints of "sexism".

While the only man in the graphic is sitting on the sofa, the women in the other houses next to his are all looking after children or cleaning up the house.

Following the backlash, the UK government issued a statement to say the ad did not reflect its "views on women".

"Showing a man lounging about while women (and girls) 'do it all' may bear some truth but it can't be the blueprint from the top. How did this get signed off in 2021?" parenting blogger Anna Whitehouse said.

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"How out of touch can this government get?" wondered Labour's shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Bridget Phillipson.

"This kind of typecasting makes my blood boil – the people who produced this are dinosaurs," said Mandu Reid, leader of the Women's Equality party.

A message from the Government to the nation’s women and girls!!

In 2021.

Turns out 1950s sexism is spreading fast too. pic.twitter.com/n6pHIz7cwu

— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) January 28, 2021

"It provides further evidence of the crisis of imagination and competence at the heart of government which has already resulted in women being expected to work, teach and care for children without any support," Reid added.

"The government needs home-schooling on the impossible realities of Covid parenting, otherwise it will be more than their artwork that is stuck in the 1950s."

The UK government only removed the poster after the backlash on social media.