Only 1% of Ads show men in caregiving roles despite shifting realities

New Delhi: Indian men are navigating a complex mix of tradition and change, but mainstream advertising has yet to reflect this shift. The Indian Masculinity Maze, a new study by marketing analytics firm Kantar, highlights how men, especially Gen Z, are portrayed and positioned in today’s media narratives.

According to the research, 71% of men agree with the statement “real men don’t cry,” even as many find the sentiment outdated and emotionally limiting. Despite this, the advertising industry rarely reflects such internal conflicts. Male roles in caregiving or emotional expression remain scarce, with only 1% of ads in the study portraying men involved in household tasks, and just 6% showing emotional care or respect towards women.

The report highlights the gap between the emotional lives of men and how masculinity is typically depicted in ads. While younger generations, especially Gen Z, are more emotionally expressive and open to evolving roles, the advertising world continues to reinforce outdated notions of strength, control and emotional silence.

The study is based on a national survey of 880 urban men aged 18 to 45 across eight cities, alongside an audit of over 450 television ads across 150-plus channels in 12 languages. It finds that 41% of millennial men and 31% of Gen Z men feel negatively represented in ads, compared to only 15 to 17% of older respondents. 

Prasanna Kumar, Executive Vice President, Insights Division, Kantar and co-author of the study, said: “The report isn’t about rewriting masculinity overnight. It’s about recognising where men are today, often caught between tradition and transition and helping brands engage with that complexity in a way that’s both commercially smart and culturally sensitive.”

While Gen Z men are more accepting of fluid gender roles and diverse identities, they often feel misrepresented or flattened into clichés. Over 60% believe confidence, control and appearance are overemphasised in advertising, and nearly half say grooming is portrayed with excessive pressure.

Male voiceovers dominate advertising voice tracks, 43% compared to 31% for female voiceovers, even in mixed-gender narratives, reinforcing implicit hierarchies. The study also notes that traditional portrayals of male characters continue to dominate, with 94% of analysed ads failing to challenge stereotypical depictions.

Soumya Mohanty, Managing Director and Chief Client Officer, South Asia, Insights Division, Kantar, said: “Most ads still rely on outdated male stereotypes, rarely showing men as emotionally present or involved at home. This widens the gap between reality and representation. But this isn’t just a cultural miss; it’s a commercial one. Our LINK data shows that ads breaking these norms deliver significantly stronger brand equity and sales impact.”

The business case is reinforced by Kantar’s LINK database, which shows that ads featuring emotionally nuanced male characters register a 63-point lift in long-term brand equity and a 44-point rise in short-term sales potential. The study suggests that connecting with male audiences in a more realistic and inclusive manner can enhance both creative impact and commercial outcomes.

ASCI CEO and Secretary General Manisha Kapoor, responding to the findings, said, “ASCI is committed to fostering progressive advertising representations. Earlier this year, we launched the 'Manifest: Masculinities Beyond the Mask' study, in collaboration with the Unstereotype Alliance (convened by UN Women). We are now pleased to associate with Kantar on ‘The Indian Masculinity Maze’ to take this conversation forward.”

Kanta Singh, Country Representative (ad interim), UN Women India Country Office, added, “Kantar has been a founding member of the Unstereotype Alliance India Chapter. We value our collaboration with Kantar and ASCI on this important initiative to develop the study on masculinities in Indian advertising. Achieving gender equality and inclusion requires the meaningful engagement of all genders, including men and boys. It is important that marketers and content creators better understand evolving perspectives and aspirations to help challenge gender stereotypes and promote more inclusive narratives.”