People see thousands of images and visuals every day. These are logos, infographics, banners, photos, images, icons, videos used for communication purposes, in brochures, articles, on social networks.
Gender stereotypes can be affirmed or rejected if a more inclusive visual language is used. They can be used in a way to promote gender mainstreaming and increase the visibility of underrepresented categories.
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When making or choosing a visualization, the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) recommends paying attention to several aspects. Their Inclusive Communication Report, released in 2022, advises having diverse people rather than visuals of only one gender, age and race. If the image will include a woman and a man in a given sector, the organization gives guidance that they should be shown as equals and avoid the appearance that the man is the leading figure and the woman the subordinate.
An example of this is a doctor in the foreground with two nurses in the background, while instead, the image may include a medical team made up of male and female doctors and paramedics. Attention should also be paid to the “dynamics of power” – who is positioned how in the image and how it looks. The image must not contain only seated women and standing men, or men in the front and women in the back in the same image. It is better to look for a balanced representation of the sexes in the photos.
What one should watch out for
The report also advises choosing photos that show women in male-dominated occupations and vice versa whenever possible. It is recommended not to bind gender and colors to break the practice of choosing pink for women and blue for men. Therefore, when choosing visualizations, it is good to expand the color spectrum and avoid stereotypical colors. In video and audio materials, it is most inclusive for the narrators to be in both male and female voices.
Visually Inclusive Language
In a corporate environment, people rarely consider that there are employees who may have color blindness. Since red-green blindness is the most common, it is good to use colors other than these in visual presentations to signal constancy. Alternatively, symbols or words may be used instead to distinguish groups of information.
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