I understand how target markets work in advertising (at least the basics). I understand that somebody somewhere figured out that they might make more money if they targeted men with kids for life insurance (although I would like to see the actual reasons; because more men would buy into this sort of ad? because fewer men are currently concerned about life insurance?), but these sorts of ads are ubiquitous, at least on the sites I frequent (and no, not a dad here--so much for marketing), and it's got me to thinking.
This seems like one more piece of cultural pressure on men to 'provide'--at once suggesting (by being targeted at 'dad' in the first place) that men are the providers, and at the same time, by suggesting that not only the kid, but also mom, won't be able to survive without dad's life insurance; that women aren't providers. I know there are practical benefits to having life insurance--but whatever they are, it's almost certainly a good idea that both parents have it, right?
A little thing, perhaps, but they add up.
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