Feminism is not just a trend, it’s a business opportunity.
“Brands can’t ignore Feminism anymore.”
It was at the panel on “Gen Fem” at Mobile World Congress that Charlotte White, Global Strategy Partner at Carat, addressed the importance of gender equality in advertising, and it was clear. Brands simply can’t ignore feminism anymore. There is no excuse for what what was described as “a mainstream trend”.
But Feminism is also more than a trend, it’s a business opportunity.
Organisations with a level split of men and women at senior management level considerably outperform those that lack in equal representation. In fact, publicly traded companies with male-only executive directors are estimated to miss out on £430bn of investment returns.
While progress is slowly being made, still only 19.7% of board representatives are women, despite a 50/50 split at entry level. It’s for that reason that I helped form the first Women’s Network at Telefonica, and that’s why I’m a member of the ONE Network at Dentsu Aegis Network. I believe that equality is key for a business to truly thrive.
Diversity leads to innovation. Innovation leads to better results. Better results lead to happy clients. Is there really any other argument not to invest in driving better equality in our industry?
Interestingly, I’ve only been working for Dentsu Aegis Network for a matter of months, but one of the first things that struck me about this incredible global network was a clear, global drive to become a more diverse, connected business. It’s rare to find a business so committed to delivering on this goal, right across and from top to bottom, and with a genuine cause at the heart.
So why are there not more women leaders at the top if it clearly makes business sense? Well, in the interest of not writing a thesis and pulling long paragraphs from Simone de Beauvoir, it’s clear that the reasons are complex. But businesses can support by providing a platform for women to feel more supported and more empowered to apply for those senior positions.
I’ve attended a number of Unconscious Bias training sessions, and one of the most powerful exercises was writing a CV. Do you have a person in mind when you’re writing the job description for, say, a Creative Director? When you put pen to paper, it’s quite extraordinary how much Unconscious Bias can play a part in invisibly closing doors.
So what is my pledge for International Women’s Day and how will I #ConquerTheDivide?
I want to continue to spread the message that Feminism is good for business. I want to ensure that I can help drive engagement and awareness for our worthy initiatives & programmes with a focus on business results, whether that’s the ONE Network or a powerful Whitepaper on Diversity & Inclusion. It’s time the industry took Feminism more seriously as a business-driving goal.
