TV networks glorify it. Don Draper made it cool. But modern women don’t seem to agree.
This past week Kevin Roberts, the chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi and “top coach” to Publicis Groupe—both of which are some of the leading ad agencies in the world—resigned after he said that the “f******g debate is over” regarding gender diversity in ad agencies.
Out of the six major advertising agencies, not a single one has a woman as a CEO, even though women make up 46.4 percent of the industry. Yet out of those 46.4 percent only 11.5 percent of them are a creative director, which is up from its previous stance of three percent.
Roberts went on in an interview to state that he doesn’t give “any time” to fixing or working through gender gaps or discrepancies within his agencies—and that these types of gender inequalities are much greater within industries such as finance, where they are “left, right and center.”
In fact Roberts even went on to allude to the fact that women are not moving up within advertising agencies due to their own volition-- not because the industry as a whole is inherently sexist and male dominated.
"We have a bunch of talented, creative females, but they reach a certain point in their careers ... 10 years of experience, when we are ready to make them a creative director of a big piece of business, and I think we fail in two out of three of those choices because the executive involved said: 'I don't want to manage a piece of business and people, I want to keep doing the work.' Roberts said. "So we are trying to impose our antiquated s**t on them, and they are going: 'Actually guys, you're missing the point, you don't understand: I'm way happier than you.' Their ambition is not a vertical ambition, it's this intrinsic, circular ambition to be happy. So they say: 'We are not judging ourselves by those standards that you idiotic dinosaur-like men judge yourself by'. I don't think [the lack of women in leadership roles] is a problem. I'm just not worried about it because they are very happy, they're very successful, and doing great work. I can't talk about sexual discrimination because we've never had that problem, thank goodness."
Cindy Gallop, a leading feminist within the advertising world, and creator of MakeSexNotPorn and IfWeRanTheWorld, responded to Roberts sexist remarks after he called her out in the infamous interview, saying that she created [gender] controversy for her own gain.
“I'm pleased to see that Kevin Roberts has resigned, given that his comments made him non-credible as a chairman charged with inspiring, motivating and promoting into leadership the thousands of women who work for Saatchi and Saatchi Worldwide… However, given he was forced to resign, Publicis Groupe would have made a far greater statement to every woman working within their network, at every client brand they represent, and to the industry as a whole, if they had fired him… I look forward to Maurice Lévy and Publicis Groupe now spearheading a very dramatic seachange in the way the white male leadership of our industry welcomes women and people of color up to the leadership ranks shoulder to shoulder with them, and to seeing tangible, visible action on their part in the coming weeks… I see that Kevin Roberts was paid a total salary of $4,137,786 last year, whereas, contrary to his remarks directed at me, nobody anywhere is paying me anything to do the work I do in this area. I note that PublicisGroupe/Saatchi and Saatchi Worldwide now have a vacancy for a leadership coach, and I'd like to offer my services. Obviously, to ensure there is no gender wage gap, at the same salary Kevin Roberts was being paid."
Gallop’s comments highlight a very real, and honest reply to Roberts upsetting and close-minded interview. The advertising world has been put in the limelight as a glamorous and sought after career choice, but the reality is as hard hitting as Don Draper’s ego. There is a clear gender divide, and a clear gender handicap within the industry. Data and numbers do not lie. Women are not enabled the opportunity to grown within the business, and with men like Kevin Roberts at the helm of agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi and holding companies like Publicis, there is no question as to why.
We may live in the 21st century, but many are still behind the times.
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