Why Each Company In The Media Industry Has An Individual Responsibility To Tackle Gender Inequality

Augustus
Augustus
Jul 20, 2017 · 6 min read
Fearless Girl on Wall Street

Equal Opportunities

You don’t have to be a huge corporation to change the world. And change doesn’t have to happen overnight. But we all have a responsibility to make the future that little bit better for future generations whether this be related to the environment, or gender equality or mental health (to name a few).

Many companies incorporate CSR into their business models to give back to their community and support in areas that are close to their hearts. Microsoft, Google and Disney respectively hold the top three spots for Forbes list of companies with the best CSR reputations.

Aside from CSR, as a way of giving back, companies can take steps to tackle issues through their own policies and structures. Despite great strides, gender equality is still a pressing topic that needs to be addressed and resolved.

Gender equality doesn’t necessarily mean having the same amount of men and women in a company, but rather ensuring both genders have the same access to opportunities and that suitable candidates are hired and progress regardless of their sex.

While gender quotas and positive discrimination are a way to remedy to gender inequality, they are only a short-term fix. Governments can offer incentives to companies to ensure they have a diverse workforce.

So although gender inequality is a moral issue, perhaps tackling it will be more effective if we come at it from a different angle, business sense. Governments need to incentivise hiring more qualified women (at least for now) and economies will prosper.

From The Wall Street Journal.

A positive note is that the topic of gender inequality is being discussed at events such as the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

Here are some of the key talking points:

  1. Progress and Benefits

This year, “Fearless Girl,” a statue of a young girl in a defiant pose installed on Wall Street to promote the appointment of women on corporate boards took the Grand Prix in the Glass Lion category at the Cannes Lion International Festival of Creativity.

The installation also received the Titanium Grand Prix at the festival and 18 total Lions making it one of the most talked-about marketing moves and one of the most highly awarded campaigns in the history of the event.

The Glass Lion award was introduced in 2015 by Sheryl Sandberg and Lean In, her nonprofit dedicated to empowering women. In an interview with Forbes at this year’s Cannes, Sandberg, COO at Facebook, spoke about gender equality.

“I’m a deep believer that we need more women in leadership roles, and I work in marketing… I’m a deep believer that we need to change our culture that positions men as leader and women as nurturers.” Again, she supports the view that gender equality is good for business.

“Facebook did a study with Madonna Badger’s ad agency and we evaluated six million posts this year, and plans that are marketing toward gender equality have 8–10% higher brand favorability than those that don’t. Marketing toward equality makes the biggest difference. Microsoft’s “Make What’s Next” ad increased brand favorability by 19%. This isn’t just the smart thing to do, but the smart thing to do for your business.”

Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook

2. Women and Tech

Silicone Valley has experienced numerous recent reports of harassment and prejudicial behaviour. Across Silicon Valley, the average tech company’s board of directors is 11 per cent female. studies conducted seem to show that instead of being less qualified than their male counterparts, women just aren’t given the same access to promotions and opportunities to move upwards.

Even worse, women have been made to feel that if they report sexual harassment and discrimination, they face ostracism in their workplaces. This hasn’t however, stopped a recent outpouring of women in Silicone Valley sharing their experiences with The Times. Their reports show a disappointing level of discrimination ingrained at every level of business.

Numerous accounts show that women have been rejected from jobs after rebutting advances and have even been told not to speak about it. In some cases, they have even put up with unwanted advances and comments in order to not jeopardise funding and investment.

According to the data firm PitchBook, most venture capitalists and entrepreneurs are men. They received $58.2 billion in funding last year, compared to $1.5 billion for female entrepreneurs.

Rachel Renock, the chief executive of Wethos, center, with her business partners, Claire Humphreys, left, and Kristen Ablamsky. Ms. Renock said they received sexist comments while seeking financing. (From the New York Times).

3. Women In Power

The MD of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, announced specific actions to empower women’s economic empowerment.

When in 2011 she announced she wanted the role, Lagarade said “If I’m elected I’ll bring all my expertise as a lawyer, a minister, a manager and a woman” to the job, she said.” She replaced Dominique Strauss-Kahn who stepped down amid rape allegations.

An excerpt from the IMF website says:

“Despite significant progress in recent decades, labor markets across the world remain divided along gender lines. Female labor force participation has remained lower than male participation, gender wage gaps are high, and women are overrepresented in the informal sector and among the poor. In many countries, legal restrictions persist which constrain women from developing their full economic potential.”

Lagarde reinforces the idea that more than just a moral issue, gender inequality is damaging economic growth. If women played an identical role in the work world to that of men, global growth would skyrocket by $28 trillion (over 25%) by 2025, according to consulting firm McKinsey.

Christine Lagarde, MD of the IMF

4. Controversies

Last year, Kevin Roberts, the executive chairman of the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, resigned after making controversial comments about gender diversity in the advertising industry.

Roberts said the debate over gender diversity in the advertising industry was “over” and he spent “no time” thinking about the issue at Publicis, thanks to its 50–50 gender split, adding that the company had “never had a problem.”

Maurice Levy, the CEO of Publicis Groupe, released a statement shortly after the article was published saying Roberts’ comments were “unacceptable.” Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Robert Senior said Roberts’ views were not the position of the agency and “the issue of gender diversity is not in any way over for our industry.”

The issue is widespread and needs more than quotas to remedy it. We need to change existing chauvinist / ignorant ideologies which will prove more difficult, but will reap longer-standing rewards.

Kevin Roberts, the executive chairman of the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi resigned after sexist comments.

Thought Leadership and Gender Equality

What can we do then at a grassroots level?

By understanding having a diverse is an advantage and not a hindrance and actually taking steps to implement this is a start. As innovative and pioneering businesses, we can lead the way and break the chain of what has always been done, and accepted. We have to redefine the status quo.

And when we encounter inevitable obstacles, we can change our approach. By showing proof that equality is a better long-term plan for success, we can support our moral issue with economic facts. And once we set plans in motion, we move on to tackle other issues from the environment to mental health as a taboo.

When every member of our organisation feels they are treated equally and fairly, the entire workforce feels valued and therefore, happier. The company builds integrity and brand favourability.

At Augustus, we don’t believe in quotas or positive discrimination. We believe that gender inequality won’t end when we ensure the same number of men and women in a company, but instead when we see candidates based on their experience, personality and suitability for the role before their gender.

When we know that an issue exists, we have a duty to call it out and tackle it.

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Augustus

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Augustus

We are a new media company, born in the Middle East. We believe that new media will change the world.

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