Estate agent vows to remove 'sexist' advert

A "sexist" advert for an estate agent depicting a young woman with an older man will be removed after it sparked a backlash.

The Marsh & Parsons poster - captioned "a charming period property with a modern extension" - prompted criticism on social media after it was spotted on the London Underground.

One Twitter user commented: "How did @MarshandParsons estate agents miss 2nd half of 20th c & 21st c? What sexist stereotypes. #everydaysexism."

Another wrote: "Yes, because that's what women are - decorative addendums. #past40yearsneverhappened."

The advert formed part of a campaign by the estate agent which features photographs of people with captions pertaining to match their image to a similar property.

David Brown, chief executive of Marsh & Parsons, said: "Marsh & Parsons has a recent history of tongue-in-cheek advertisements that compare people to property and reflect that the range of people we work with are as diverse as the types of properties we sell and let.

"We have always tried to get our message across with a gentle sense of humour and up until now, our work has been extremely well-received."

He said that the campaign featured a "varied mixture of men and women across various cultures and ages", and that they "never sought to alienate or insult anybody".

"The campaign, created by a team of men and women, is designed to be thought-provoking and to prompt conversation, but it was not our intention to cause offence.

"It would appear that this particular advert - taken apart from the rest of the campaign - has done so and we will be taking steps to remove it as a result."

The Advertising Standards Authority said it was assessing six complaints about the advert.