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Gender transformation: mad men still mainly male
Sorry, guys, but it’s because men dominate leadership positions in the ad industry that so much of its work is off target in terms of tone and relevance — the Unilever/Clicks race debacle over the TRESemmé hair ad is a case in point
In its bluntest assessment yet of gender inequality in the advertising sector, the Association for Communication & Advertising (ACA) says the glass ceiling for women remains firmly intact and the industry is dominated by "the persistent problem of the old boys’ club".This follows a wide-ranging industry survey by the local arm of SheSays, a global network for women in creative industries.ACA CEO Mathe Okaba tells the FM the study "highlights a truth we all know too well", revealing that while women make up just over 60% of the ad industry workforce, their share of leadership positions — particularly in the technology and digital disciplines — is much lower. Okaba is particularly concerned about how few black women are advancing."If we consider transformation in its truest sense — and that means changing the industry in its entirety to be more representative of the buying population — there has been some progress but not improvement."It’s simply not enough. We need to nurture and dev...
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