#Superwomen2020: Leaders discuss 'Boardroom Inequality' in reference to the M & A Industry

Pay gaps and the prevalence of men in the C-suite are things we cannot ignore. But the Media & Advertising industry has always been one that is extremely welcoming to women. In an industry where it means everything to be a people’s person who can juggle multiple roles, women are shattering the glass ceiling every day. I have a feeling this will only improve in coming years

While the Media & Advertising industry has always had more women in leadership positions compared to other industries, I believe there is a lot more to do. It is sad to see that while women form almost half of India’s population, their representation at the workforce is very little and it further shrinks at senior levels.

These days women, refuse to give up on their dream. They brave all odds and make a mark of their own. They do not list their liabilities/ responsibilities as weaknesses rather turn them to their strengths.

I look forward to a time where the issue of gender becomes irrelevant in these conversations! Boardroom equality has significantly normalized and more and more women entrepreneurs are making a mark in their respective fields is what I believe.

Women around the world are so talented that it would be an organization’s loss if they base their decisions on gender and not on talent. I am sure the phrase exists in some industries, as for me, I have been lucky and opportunities have always come my way.

Today women are the key purchase drivers and main target audiences for any brand. With this shift in consumer behavior, advertising and media agencies are also hiring women to market to them better and thus are by default coerced to give women equal importance in boardrooms. These industries have more room for organic changes and are faster in overcoming the inequality battle.

More employers are opening up to the idea of Equal Opportunity and hence we see enough and more women today at the rudder. Having said that, we still have a long way to go in terms of putting a level playing field. Hopefully, soon the conversation will be all about meritocracy and not gender.

Women in our industry deserve a lot more and they need to demand it with authority. I will not generalize but being in a job and going up the ranks is very different than running a business and ensuring you provide for staff in every way.

I believe women have not only shattered but flown way

past the ceiling in the media & advertising field and have reached a level

where the ‘boardroom inequality’ phrase could be used for the other gender.

When you conduct yourself as a first-rate

professional, the gender you belong to becomes immaterial. If you are standing

in front of a client making a strong strategy/marketing presentation, what

matters is the content of what is being said rather than whether the person

presenting it is a male or female. But yes it’s never been an easy journey for

women.

Boardroom inequality still stands true but has

improved over time. The improvement needs to happen at a scale and at a pace

that truly justifies the whole #BalanceForBetter propagation. Organizations

need to see skills over gender for the dominance of a better workforce. As

rightly stated by Sheryl Sandberg – ‘In future, there should not be female

leaders, there should just be Leaders.’

Today, we’re at a point where there is almost no industry that has not seen women’s participation or representation. Women are increasingly embracing their ambitions, unapologetically.

Women are shattering the glass ceiling in all fields and not just in media and advertising, and the world is more accepting of this today.

The young women of today are ambitious and hardworking and all it needs is an equal environment for these women to rise up.

Women have been very successful in shattering the glass ceiling in the media and advertising field, but in my opinion, we still live in a patriarchy and have a long way to go. But there is a start and a start is better than just accepting the status quo.