The gender pay gap affects every woman from every background globally, but the marketing sector is at the forefront of driving change that could benefit both workers and employees.

Not-for-profit gender equality group SheSays has been tirelessly campaigning for fairer pay for women and on closing the pay gap for good, and says that employers hold most of the cards when it comes to improving the situation.

Shesay’s President Amy Dick says that, “It’s almost like employers are going to see what they can get away with as opposed to being upfront and wanting to give people what they deserve. And I think we need to pivot to really trying to champion what people deserve. The biggest thing is actually taking action, because we can end up being in this lovely bubble of conversation, we share lots of content, but actual tangible action is the art.”

The gender rights group has recently published its Manifesto “Rework the Future”, based on data that shows three out of four people in the marketing industry consider equal pay to be a top priority.

The manifesto encourages the UK government to push legislation that would require companies to offer flexible working arrangements such as compressed hours and hybrid working.

In the UK, gender rights charity the Fawcett Society calculated that the gender pay gap will not close until 2051. The study ‘Time to close the gender pay gap’ also showed that on average the gender pay gap is 11.3%, up from 10.7% last year.

In Adland, a Statista survey titled ‘Gender pay gap among marketing professionals working full-time in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2020 to 2024’ published earlier this year, showed that on average women earned 16% less than men.

“We are witnessing a groundswell of people pushing for progress in the workplace, especially with legislation such as the Employment Rights Bill urging businesses ‘to make flexible working the default for all,” says Dick.

The Employment Rights Bill is an amendment to employment law published on 10 October 2024, which proposes to “provide for duties to be imposed on employers in relation to equality” such as giving women additional protections to cover dismissals taking place during pregnancy, maternity leave or following a return to work.

The bill will also remove the length of service clause on parental leave and introduce mandatory equality action plans for employers with 250+ employees, with penalties if the plans are not submitted.

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Advocacy

Shesays wants workplaces to give employees the option to work around their lives, so people don’t have to sacrifice their careers because they have caring duties.

According to ‘What Women Want’ – a report from thinktank The Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP) – women in the UK are providing 23.2 billion hours of unpaid childcare a year.

Dick says that addressing this imbalance would be beneficial not only to employees but to businesses, as it will help them “attract and retain talented individuals”.

Men can also play a role in pushing for gender equality in the workplace, adds Dick. “Pushing for flexible working, ultimately that helps everybody, not just women,” she says. Men can assist by calling out things that they see or hear, and hold companies accountable when they aren’t playing fair, she suggests.

On the flip side, Dick explained that women can try to advocate for themselves by starting open and honest conversations about money and salaries with friends and colleagues.

“There has been a bit of a wave, especially on social media with specific platforms that are helping people, especially women, have more conversations about money,” she says. “I think culturally in the UK, and certainly where I’m from in Ghana as well, we don’t talk about these things. It’s all very private. In some workplaces you’re encouraged not to discuss what you’re getting paid. This all supports the status quo. If we really want to unravel all of that we must have more honest conversations. We need to normalise it.”

Dick acknowledges that workplaces are worried about competition, and the result of pay equality on their bottom lines, adding that the group’s work is about making sure that women exchange knowledge and collectively ask for better treatment and greater equality.

Crucially, while change often starts from the ground up, companies should be advocating for change too, argues Dick. And, she explains, some are. Dick cites creative agency Analogue Folk, where MD Anna Lou Gladwell built a campaign called Change the Face of Creative Leadership. The project was designed to challenge the lack of female representation in senior Adland roles.

It takes well-known figures in the advertising industry such as John Hegarty, David Droga and Nils Leonard and turns them into ‘Jane Hegarty’, ‘Davina Droga’ and ‘Nelly Leonard’.

Analogue Folk’s head of social, Taylor Handsley who featured on the podcast SheSays Says, is also seeking wider equality in the marketing industry, by putting out content on neurodiversity and the challenges it creates for leaders. “ I think when you have people like that in your organisation, who are leaders, who can really example success whilst autistic, neurodiverse, women, etc, etc, it really shows how you can be bold and succeed,” she says.

Government

Of course, for change to gather pace, support is needed at a government level.

“It’s good to see that the Labour government has these sorts of issues on its agenda. So just having it mandated by the government on a government level is going to be really, really transformative,” says Dick.

One of the changes proposed by the new government is the introduction of a new regulatory enforcement unit for equal pay. It has also confirmed the introduction of a new bill dedicated to equal pay.

“Having these changes come into play helps with accountability, as the whole industry is then being held accountable on a government level. It changes the landscape. So, I think having that come in will be fantastic,” says Dick.

According to the ONS (Office for National Statistics) Hourly survey of hours and earnings of full-time staff, the gender pay gap is largest when it comes to financial and insurance agencies at 25% and smallest in the transportation industry.

“Looking at the creative industry, for those working in the information and communications sector the gap stands at 13% and for Arts, Entertainment and Recreation it stands at 8%,” says Dick. “So, whilst we aren’t the worst, we are not yet the best. Let’s do better!”