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Let's hear it for women in the marketing workplace

Andrew Harvey, chairman of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) shares his views on the CIM’s latest discussion paper: Women in Marketing.

You could be forgiven for thinking that gender inequality or imbalance in marketing was a thing of the past. It’s true that marketing enjoys a more balanced demographic profile than many professions but some problems do remain and there is still more to do.

The CIM itself has recently appointed a woman chief executive and has several women in our Leadership Team, but this discussion paper is intended to be both a contribution to an on-going debate and an invitation to let us hear your views. You may disagree with some of the views, or think there are bigger problems or better solutions.

This new paper is the product of a roundtable discussion between a panel of senior female marketers convened by CIM from some of the biggest brands and businesses in the world

including: Sarah Speake, Strategic Marketing Director, Google UK and Ireland; Ellie Mickleburgh, Marketing Director UK and Ireland, Hays; Anna Bateson, Director of Global Marcomm, YouTube; and Fiona Dawson, President, Mars Chocolate., who lead the way with women making up 50% of their Board members.

Contributors to the paper have highlighted the problems they have experienced in their own careers and organisations and suggested potential solutions. Issues covered include quotas and targets for female representation on boards, differences in remuneration, the potential benefits of mentoring programmes and the representation of marketing in general at senior executive levels.

Marketing as a profession is very effective at attracting female talent – the vast majority of graduate and entry-level positions are held by women – but only a mere 23% of marketing and sales directors are female. We want to know what is happening to these women, where are they getting lost on the career ladder, and why are they not progressing to Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) level alongside their male counterparts?

Many theories were discussed leading to the preparation of the discussion paper including quotas. Some argued that quotas stipulating the number of women at a particular management level have the potential to focus minds and help to level the playing field, but they often only make the problem worse. Women won’t go for jobs for fear of being seen as only there to make up the quota: transparent targets and real culture change are much more effective. Should an equal number of men and women be interviewed for senior roles, thus widening the net of talent?

Pay differences in marketing at the bottom and middle level have almost disappeared, however inequalities do persist at the very top where men are still paid more at director level. A recent CMI salary survey indicated that female executives earn around £400,000 less over the course of their career than their male counterparts in identical jobs. The same report also indicated that women are also more at risk of being made redundant.

Marketing needs good women just as much as it needs good men. For the profession to truly assert itself within the business community, we need the very best senior marketers taken from a diverse and able talent pool. If marketing was represented better at C-level and Director level, many believe that would change the dynamic and the argument. In publishing this new paper the Institute is adding a handful of very senior and experienced voices to the on-going discussion, but we want to hear your thoughts too: we want to hear your experiences, the problems you’ve faced, what’s worked and what we need to do. Marketers, both men and women, should visit www.cim.co.uk/womeninmarketing to join the conversation and make your voice heard.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Chartered Institute of Marketing .