Women in Ladvertising: female creatives who challenge Australia’s ‘Boys’ Club’ label
London-based Phoebe Siggins from Little Black Book talks to six Aussie female creatives to discuss their best work, how they’d like to describe the industry they work in and where they’d like to see it go.
When it comes to writing about creative talent in Australia, the topic comes with an intrinsic elephant in the room. ‘Where are all the women?’
With recent industry events causing huge stirs in the conversations surrounding gender diversity, there’s a spotlight on the Australian market. The ratio of senior female creatives to male creatives continues to be the most gender-imbalanced in Australian creative agencies.
The term ‘boys’ club’ tends to get thrown around when it comes to Australia, but as much as it’s a catchy descriptive that industry journalists can use to draw attention to inequalities, I feel in the same instance it also detracts from the amazing creative work that comes out of Australia by women.
There are some hugely talented creatives paving the way in Australia’s agencies and their work speaks for itself, regardless of gender. I caught up with creatives at BWM Dentsu, GPY&R Melbourne, The Monkeys, M&C Saatchi, BMF Sydney and 303 MullenLowe Perth on their best work, how they’d like to describe the industry they work in and where they’d like to see it go.
6 Comments
@Rosita spot on about the ridiculous hours in creative department. But that pressure to work does come from the old ‘boys club’ intimidating the staff, and playing that game of watch and see who leaves last.
White Chicks in Skipvertising: six creatives who confirm Australia’s “White Club” Label.
Interesting the majority of female creatives who are really kicking goals are saying ‘we don’t care about man / woman, just be good.’
Maybe because being a creative is a mental thing, not a sexual thing.
I expect the advertising industry to be the first to move on these real world issues, this is one that needs urgent and more attention. Expensive case studies and shiny plastic things are flattering, but no one cares outside of the adosphere. Make a real difference, affect change. Show some fucking substance and use whatever powers you think you have to make a difference.
There have been a lot of great female creatives from Oz they just haven’t all been around (or in Oz) at the same time: Sarah Barclay, Georgia Arnott, Rebecca Carrasco, Justine Amour, Emma Hill, Lisa Fedyszyn, Celina McKenzie, Mel Conan, Jane Caro, Kara Jenkins, Kieran Flanagan, Simone Brandse, (others whose names escape me), then newer creatives like Julia Elton-Bott, Katrina Jarratt, Sarah Paris, as well the people in this story. Lots of talent, but we do have a problem keeping them either in this industry or in this country, which is the biggest problem. Because the issue isn’t getting them in or their ability to do great work, it’s keeping them when they want to have kids – when work/life balance becomes mandatory not a ‘nice to have’. That’s when working hard starts to have limits, and companies aren’t set up to allow for those limits. We all know this. We just don’t know how to fix it.
A group of white people talking diversity, classic.