Females are claimed to be negatively stereotyped and underestimated in certain advertisements.
Said Prof. Maria Tam of the Anthropology Department of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, who is also in charge of the Gender Studies Program: "Most of the ads are to please males."
She mentioned a shower cream TV ad in which a woman lent her shoulder to a stranger man who fell asleep on a minibus.
"The woman in the ad seemed to enjoy it very much," said Prof. Tam. "Females are always serving males.
However, Mr. Andrew Lee, the managing director of Grey Hong Kong, an advertising agency, said there is no specific image for women in the ads.
"We only consider the content of an ad which is actually what we come across in daily life.
"By using a certain kind of image to sell a particular product, the persuasive power can be increased."
Prof. Tam disagrees that the status of women in Hong Kong has already reached the same level as that of men.
"Though some women have higher social status, equality between males and females still doesn't exist."
The Association for the Advancement of Feminism is an organization concerned with women's issues.
Said Ms. Lily Lau, the ex-chairperson of the Association: "Many ads show the concept of a harmonic family, with women playing their traditional roles.
"These ads are stupid. I am sad to discover that no improvement is ever made."
Ms. Eva Tong, 41, a homemaker, said, "It's natural to have these kinds of ads, since most women in Hong Kong are really staying at home and doing housework."
Mr. Dick Chan, 33, a salesperson, said, "I only care about the content of an ad, but not the use of a particular gender for certain roles.
There are also criticisms about the portrayal of women as sex objects in advertisements.
Said Mr. Lee of Grey Hong Kong: "It's uncommon to use a sexy woman as the selling point in an ad.
"Of course, we'd try to choose some good-looking actors or actresses for appealing reasons," added he.
Prof. Tam presented a different opinion.
"Some print ads only show the body of a woman without her face. They are not treating women as human beings, but sex objects.
"Or even worse, a product," she added.
She mentioned a wine ad in which two men discussed wine, cars and women.
Said she: "That put an equal sign among these three things. In the ad, women were considered as a product which men made use of to show their social status."
Recruitment ads are also a point of discussion.
After the establishment of the Equal Opportunities Commission, phrases like "male programmer" or "married not considered" can no longer exist in recruitment ads.
The Commission aims to eliminate discrimination on the grounds of sex, martial status, pregnancy, disability and family status.
According to the Sex Discrimination Ordinance, it is a criminal offence to use any terms that refer to specific sexes or characteristics of the body.
Said Miss Grace Chan Sau Lan, a senior secretary of an investment bank in her 40s: "It's ridiculous to regard married or middle-aged women as incapable. We are not inferior."
However, Mr. Lau Wai Hung, the owner of Hanco Contracting Company, still prefers men as his staff.
"Because of the differences in job nature, it's difficult to totally eliminate.
