Building Ad Equality
These ads were banned by corporate social media platforms.
Even though these ads are allowed.
These are not algorithmic accidents. They are deliberate corporate internal policy decisions.
Why does this matter?
Sexual health: Women and people with vaginas are in need of tools and information to support their health. Nearly three out of four women experience pain during intercourse at some point, and 30% reported pain during their most recent sexual encounter (compared to 5% of men). Further, many women and people with vaginas are unprepared for their body’s natural changes during menopause -- and have no idea where to find help. Blocking ads for sexual health and wellness for people based on gender holds back female sexual health and equality -- whereas allowing them could help countless people and their partners access tools and information improving their lives.
Women’s economic power: In an environment in which only 2.3% of global venture capital financing went to all female-founded companies last year (and 9% to companies with both a male and female founder), and only 10 out of the 120 private startups newly valued at $1 billion or more in 2020 had a female founder, Facebook blocking female sexual health ads further holds back women’s economic power. Many of the entrepreneurs seeking to run sexual health ads, for products they created to address needs they faced, are women. Companies with a woman founder and a woman executive hire 6 times more women than other companies. Discriminating by censoring ads for female sexual health - despite allowing ads for men - has rippling effects that impacts the economic wellbeing, security, and conditions of equity toward women and people across the gender spectrum.
Culture of wellbeing and equity: Companies like Facebook banning female sexual health and wellness ads, while at the same time allowing ads for “ball-hair manscaping” or erectile dysfunction, sends the signal that female sexual health and wellbeing, and the wellbeing of people besides non-cisgender men, is invalid and of inferior importance. We are working to build a more equitable culture -- one in which intimacy justice includes both freedom from pain, sexual harm and trauma, and freedom to experience health, wellbeing, and satisfaction.