How Women’s History Month Should Drive More Action
It’s that time of year again when many companies are busy planning what to “do” for International Women’s Day. Some organisations might also have noted that March is Women’s History Month, providing a much broader scope for thinking about women’s experiences than just one day. But, despite good intentions, IWD in adland is often little more than an exercise in talking a good game.
We already know that much of adland is out of touch with the experience of the real people that make up consumer groups and audiences, so it follows that our activities around IWD often comes across as woefully detached from the reality of women’s lives. Because out in the real world, beyond the confines of adland, the experience of being a woman can range from frustrating to terrifying on a daily basis.
“We can't change the police, the fire service or social media keyboard warriors, but how many of us really understand we're sustaining authority gaps in our businesses and home? And what are we doing to tackle it?” - Lori Meakin
Just thinking about what we witnessed in February alone amply serves this point. Consider the coverage of Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation (and her reasons for doing so), Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance and pregnancy reveal, the murder of Emma Pattison and the disappearance of Nicola Bulley and the tragic murder of Brianna Ghey. There were yet more catastrophic examples of misogyny in the police force with the sentencing of David Carrick and the mishandling of indecent exposure allegations about Wayne Couzens. Meanwhile, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Service has opened an inquiry into claims of disrespectful comments about female crash victims.
This is just a snapshot of an ordinary month and doesn’t even consider the ongoing systemic issues that don’t make headlines because they are systemic. What this catalogue of misogyny, sexism and violence against women shows is that we have to do more to improve the experience of women and girls. The common response – the easiest response – is that there is nothing we can do. These issues are so huge, and we are powerless in the face of them, besides, it is beyond the remit of our day job.
This vastly underestimates the power of our sector and of us, as individuals, to create genuine change when we apply our clever, creative minds to a problem. We can start immediately by getting our own houses in order by putting in place actions that impact our people and our culture. Are you doing enough to tackle the blokey culture that still surrounds us? Do you think actively about safety for women and other marginalised groups when planning shoots, parties, trips and conferences? Has your whole leadership team done the TimeTo training?
How are you tackling the authority gap, which, as Mary Ann Sieghart demonstrates in her brilliant book, is why women still aren't taken as seriously as men in the professional world. And it's significantly worse for women of colour. We can't change the police, the fire service or social media keyboard warriors, but how many of us really understand we're sustaining authority gaps in our businesses and home? And what are we doing to tackle it? It may not be big and showy, but if enough of us do this, it could create real change.
Are you learning from books such as Brandsplaining and research like Feeling Seen and placing overlooked and underestimated audiences front and centre as you develop creative work? Do you genuinely understand and respect the 50% of the population that make 80% of purchase decisions? And are you creating a more expansive version of what masculinity can mean too? If you have influence over products and services, are you helping your brand to grow by addressing big problems for women, such as tackling the gaslighting of women's pain or getting people to help Correct The Internet around women in sport?
The enormous issues women face every day in the real world might feel too big to solve. Even the biggest knot can be unravelled if each of us unpicks the bit we can. So, enjoy your International Women's Day activities, but don't let it stop there or at the end of Women's History Month either. Instead, keep asking yourself what can I DO to make the world a tiny bit better for women and girls? In the long run, it benefits everyone.
This article was featured in CreativeBrief’s BITE Voices on 8th March 2023, and can be found here.
