Social Advertising and Government Demographic Policies in Ukraine

The research presents a case study of the implementation of social advertising as a means of introducing and promoting government demographic policies in Ukraine. The study is framed into the existing literature on the state and ideology, construction of social problems, advertising and ideology with the purpose to fill the gap in studies on social advertising in post-soviet countries and in Ukraine as the case. The results of the analysis of the sample set of advertisements show that a nuclear family with traditional' gender roles appreciated by the Ukrainian government as an ideal family model is absent in the content of social advertisements that aim at serving as a part of the media campaigns supporting the government discourse. In fact, advertisements mostly focus on the relationships of a mother and a child, often antagonizing their interests and introducing in this way maternal- fetal conflict'. Besides, outcomes of my analysis evidence that the government actually encourages women (at least morally) to have children irrespective of their marital status and stimulates in this way single motherhood.

Autorentext

MA in Gender Studies (Central European University, Hungary), MA and BA in Technical Translation (National Metallurgical Academy of Ukraine), BA in Finance (Dniepropetrovs'k National University, Ukraine). Currently works as main specialist on cooperation with social services at local government body in one of the regional centers in Ukraine.