Survey of UK marketing professionals finds men twice as likely to reach top marketing positions than women
Despite 75 per cent of marketers being female, research from international marketing, communications and digital recruitment specialist EMR has found that more than twice as many men (18 per cent) are reaching director level compared with women (seven per cent).
The study of 1,330 UK marketing professionals also revealed the same to be true of head of marketing roles with 22 per cent of men and 12 per cent of women reaching this level.
The gap between men and women in senior marketing roles is most apparent between the ages of 30 and 49; the findings showed that 17 per cent more men than women take on director and head of marketing roles in their thirties with 16 per cent more men than women assuming these roles in their forties. However after the age of 50 the gap narrows to just two per cent more men than women in senior positions (70 and 68 per cent respectively).
“For an industry with such a high proportion of women, the gender imbalance in marketing seems even greater at the top of the tree. At the start and end of their careers, women are relatively level with their male counterparts but their career progression is slowing down in the middle – most likely because of having children and the responsibilities of childcare,” remarked Simon Bassett, managing director of EMR.
Of those surveyed female marketers were more likely to be receptive to the idea of flexible working than their male counterparts with a larger proportion of male marketers driven by pay leaving jobs for higher paid roles and better bonuses. Female marketers were found to be happier in their roles than men with 54 per cent of women and 51 per cent of men claiming they were satisfied with their job.
Bassett added, “Companies don’t want to lose talented staff so will do what they can to keep them. In the case of men, this tends to be a financial incentive as they are more driven by pay. And while more female marketers said they are satisfied with their job, the difference in the number of men and women getting bonuses sends out a poor message about equality within the industry.”
The EMR research discovered that a larger proportion of male marketers received a bonus this year - 61 per cent of men compared with 53 per cent of women.