Deeds not words: tackling gender inequality in the marketing sector
Our vision at LinkedIn is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. If we do not provide each member with an equal opportunity to succeed and thrive - no matter their gender, ethnicity, socio-economic background or sexuality - we simply cannot deliver on that vision.
That’s why I am delighted that we have partnered with WACL (Women in Advertising and Communications, London) on their ‘Deeds not words’ initiative, which launched today.
Powered by LinkedIn insights, WACL has not only revealed the scale of the issue we face when it comes to gender inequality in the UK’s Marketing, Media & Communications (MMC) industry, but has also highlighted the work that needs to be done to overcome it.
The leadership gap
Insights gleaned from our 590 million members around the world act as a great barometer of both domestic and international talent trends. On this occasion, the LinkedIn Economic Graph team analysed a pool of 597,000 members living in the UK, working in the Media, Marketing and Communications sector*, to provide a live snapshot of workplace trends.
Our analysis revealed that the current share of female members working in the UK’s Marketing, Media & Communications sector stands at 50%. But the comparative share of women holding leadership roles (classified as those at director-level and above) is only 36%, opening up a 14% ‘leadership gap’.
When compared with other sectors in the UK, the overall female representation across MMC industries is high - our insights show that Finance currently sits at 37%; Software & IT at 29% and Manufacturing at just 24%. But the 14% leadership gap is substantial. Equivalent gaps stand at 13% in Finance; 11% in Software & IT and 8% in Manufacturing.
Tackling the gender imbalance head on
Understanding and accepting that this imbalance exists is just one part of the jigsaw. As an industry, we need to come together and look at where we were ten years ago, where we are today, and agree the steps we need to take over the coming years to pave the way for gender parity.
LinkedIn insights show that female hiring into businesses within the MMC industries, both overall and at leadership levels, is increasing. Over the last ten years, there has been a 19% increase in female hiring at leadership levels, yet it still only sits at 40%.
We are moving in the right direction to close the gap, however there is still work to be done before we reach gender parity in the sector as a whole.
The right steps on the path to equality
As part of the ‘deeds not words’ initiative, WACL has launched a set of best practice commitments, for which it is calling upon businesses to pledge their support. These commitments have already been welcomed by a number of industry trade bodies, including the Ad Association and NABS, and I am proud to say that we at LinkedIn are also taking conscious steps to enact WACL’s principles.
As one useful tool for both employers and employees, we have unlocked LinkedIn Learning’s Unconscious Bias training course for open use until the end of January.
At LinkedIn, we remain committed to our vision. And by learning from each other, sharing information which can help tackle gender inequality and committing to WACL’s best practice guide, we can take one step further to ensure that everyone in our industry has an equal opportunity to thrive.
*Marketing, Media and Communications (MMC) industry: this includes professionals working in a range of industries within the MMC sector, including newspapers, publishing, market research, marketing & advertising, public relations & communications, writing & editing, online media, and printing.