A striking 94% of advertisements in India continue to reinforce traditional male roles, missing the mark on capturing the evolving identity of the modern Indian man. This is the central finding of The Indian Masculinity Maze, a new report released by Kantar India in collaboration with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) and UN Women’s Unstereotype Alliance.
The report, which combines a nationwide survey of 880 urban Indian men aged 18–45 across eight cities with an audit of over 450 TV ads in 12 languages, highlights a growing disconnect between real-life male experiences and their portrayal in advertising. Despite increasing emotional openness and evolving household roles among younger men, advertising remains stuck in outdated tropes.
Only 6% of male characters in ads show emotional care or respect towards women, and caregiving roles for men appear in just 1% of commercials. Meanwhile, 43% of ad voiceovers are male, compared to 31% female, reinforcing male authority even in mixed-gender narratives.
“Most ads still rely on outdated male stereotypes, rarely showing men as emotionally present or involved at home,” Soumya Mohanty, Managing Director & Chief Client Officer–South Asia, Insights Division, Kantar, said. “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.”
Kantar’s data shows that ads portraying men as empathetic and emotionally nuanced enjoy a 63-point lift in long-term brand equity and a 44-point increase in short-term sales likelihood—a clear business case for more inclusive advertising.
Younger men, particularly Gen Z, are especially aware of this gap. Over 60% of Gen Z respondents say advertising places excessive emphasis on confidence, control, and appearance, and nearly half feel pressured by grooming expectations. 31% of Gen Z and 41% of Millennials report feeling negatively represented in advertising, compared to just 15–17% of older generations.
Prasanna Kumar, Executive Vice President, Insights Division, Kantar and co-author of the report, said, “This 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.”
Manisha Kapoor, CEO and Secretary General of ASCI, added: “ASCI is committed to fostering progressive advertising representations… The Kantar report will help the industry move beyond superficial portrayals to understand not just the diverse realities of men today, but also to create positive representations of men that are in sync with reality.”
The report outlines six strategic imperatives for brands, including the need to portray real lives, represent shared domestic roles, and depict emotional complexity in men. It encourages brands to test advertising inclusively and tap into unmet category opportunities around health, identity, and emotional well-being.
For India’s marketers and ad creators, the message is clear: understanding and accurately representing modern masculinity is not only a cultural imperative, but a business opportunity.
