The Co-op has been accused of perpetuating “sexist” gender stereotypes through its latest advert for Easter eggs.
The ad, which appeared in newspapers on Tuesday, featured an image of a chocolate egg along with the caption: “Be a good egg. Treat your daughter for doing the washing up.”
Dozens of people left complaints on Co-op Food’s Facebook page, with many questioning why it should be a woman’s job to do the dishes.
Co-op has since apologised for the ad and has told The Huffington Post UK it plans to change the wording on adverts going forward.
Kat Penker was among the first to post a complaint about the advert on Facebook, saying it was an example of #everydaysexism.
“Come on The Co-op, surely you are better than this? You are proud of your Fairtrade status... this is one of the 10 stated principles of Fairtrade: non-discrimination, gender equity and freedom of association,” she said.
Others labelled the advert as outdated, including Rob Wilson who wrote: “This is a disgrace. Gender stereotyping in 2017? Nobody working on equality in your marketing department?”
Meanwhile Deborah Cornwell-Kelly commented: “Co-op, seriously? Why is my daughter doing the washing up and not my son? (Perhaps he’s fixing my car outside?)”
Zoë Brown added: “Seriously disappointing from an ‘ethical, fair trade’ company. How about improving attitudes to equality and avoiding lazy stereotypes too?”
In response to the backlash, a spokesperson for the Co-op told HuffPost UK: “We are proud of our organisation’s equality and diversity and we are sorry and have changed the advert’s wording.”