Women’s Equality in Advertising

Women’s equality is a huge topic I care strongly about. I’ve done a few blog posts before regarding the topic like how few panels at Advertising Week Europe were represented by women and a book review for Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In.

I’ve decided to revisit the subject after reading this great Adweek article by Cindy Gallop. She talks briefly about the lack of women in executive creative director positions. She quotes The 3% Conference founder, Kat Gordon, about how it’s not a gender problem our industry faces but rather a “How we define what constitutes great work in a male creative leadership-dominated industry where what is deemed creative is set and reinforced year after year by predominantly male ecds, creative directors and creative awards juries” problem. When male executives are called out on such an issue as hiring an entire white, male executive staff they are never quick to comment. Gallop says, “Applying female-informed perspectives to redesign the way our industry works and makes money and creates a happier, more creative and more productive working environment for all of us.” Isn’t that what we should want for our industry? Then why aren’t people changing the status quo?

This past summer I interned at an advertising agency with 36 other interns. Of those interns 34 were women, 2 were men and it happened all by complete accident. Once HR narrowed down the 1,400 applicants to 350 candidates, the candidates were interviewed and selected by their own individual department or team. It was exciting to work with other young women who have the same drive and passion to not only work in advertising but also change the industry.

While working at the agency no one would ever expect gender discrimination was even an issue within the industry. There were so many women who worked at the agency. But most of these women worked in entry or mid-level positions. When you began to examine those sitting on top, men were dominant.

One of my friends this past summer was a creative intern with aspirations to be an art director after she graduated. As someone who wanted to enter the typically women dominated account management department, I didn’t realize the challenges women faced trying to be hired as art directors. But then I look back to remember the creatives who worked on my account and I realize that of the 6 creatives only 1 of them was a woman.

Also, it’s no secret one day I want to be a top advertising executive. I does worry me that somewhere in my path to my success I could be set back just because of my gender and that infuriates me. It bothers me that people don’t have faith in women’s abilities to perform as well if not better than a man if given the chance.

Yes, no matter what women are biologically the only gender that can produce offspring and as long as that is true women who choose to birth children in the middle of their career will be set back. That is not me saying that women who have children will never find success in their career, but until there is more gender equality they will forever be at a disadvantage.

My hope is that one day women will be more respected in advertising as leaders, creative leaders, and this predetermined notion that men are superior creatives to women will cease to exist. The industry just needs people who want to see change and make that change happen.