1 in 7 marketing professionals want to quit over lack of DE&I progress
Despite some improvement, inclusivity scores have staggered since 2021 and workers have run out of patience.
WFA's Stephan Loerke says efforts are visible but more change is necessary / Adobe Stock
The latest findings of the global diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) census from a coalition of 10 global marketing and advertising organizations and leading brands paint a bleak picture of morale in the advertising industry, with nearly one in seven industry workers saying they would leave the industry over a lack of progress. WFA chief executive, Stephan Loerke says we should see the situation as a glass “half empty.”
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The research was undertaken by a coalition including the WFA, Kantar, Cannes Lions and Effie Worldwide – as well as more than 160 organizations at a local level making it the marketing industry’s single biggest collaboration to date. The census is also backed by leading companies from across the marketing and advertising ecosystem, including BP, Diageo, Dentsu, The Estée Lauder Companies, Havas, KraftHeinz, L’Oréal, McCann, Meta, Reckitt, and WPP.
The previous census in 2021 revealed serious discrimination among those with protected characteristics working in advertising.
What did the 2023 census find?
The results, which are based on nearly 13,000 responses from 91 countries, point to greater forms of discrimination among certain demographics including gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity and disability. 16% of women (almost one in 6), 17% of LGBQ+ people (one in six), 22% of ethnic minorities (more than one in five) and 24% of disabled respondents (almost one in four) all say they are likely to leave the industry.
Younger professionals (25-34 years) and caregivers are also slightly more likely to leave than the global average (18% vs 14%).
While nearly three in four (72%) respondents globally acknowledged the industry’s attempts to improve the lived experiences of key groups over the last several years, 30% said things were the same as when the last census was taken in 2021.
Loerke continued: “We are not greatly surprised to see no measurable change across the global industry in just two years because the challenges are so deep-rooted and systemic in society. They take time to address and overcome. But the first step is building awareness of the problem. We may not have meaningfully moved the needle globally but industry efforts are increasingly visible.”
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Where is it happening?
Responses varied greatly by country, however. Seven in 10 agreed that things had improved in Spain (70%) and Brazil (69%) but only three in 10 agreed in Sweden (30%), Japan (32%) and Poland (32%).
In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), 9% of respondents said things had got worse. Globally, those in senior positions were more likely to report that things have improved (58%) compared with managers (49%) and junior staff (42%).
The three countries to record the biggest improvements were New Zealand (up 10 percentage points to 71%), South Africa (up seven points to 61%) and Ireland (up six points to 68%) while the biggest three declines were recorded in Hong Kong SAR (down six points to 61%), The Gulf Cooperation Council (down four points to 57%) and the Netherlands (down four points to 63%).
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What is happening?
Various global factors, particularly the cost-of-living crisis, have continued to have a severe impact on those with caring responsibilities, including working parents, with knock-on effects on the gender pay gap. 41% of women, 42% of parents, and 39% of caregivers say they feel that family responsibilities hinder one’s career.
The discrimination also continues higher up the pecking order, as women and ethnic minorities also report being under-represented in senior positions.
Analyzing function by gender, women are more likely to be in marketing/PR and account management. Female respondents are dominant in junior positions (64% W vs 36% M) and male respondents are twice as likely to be in C-Suite positions (21% M vs 11% W). 36% of women who took parental leave in the last five years think it has put them at a disadvantage in their career compared with just 8% of men.
Key groups are also less likely to agree that there are people like them in senior positions in their company, highlighting a lack of role models. Women’s scores are three points down on men with 58% agreeing, ethnic minority respondents are 13 points down on ethnic majority at just 48%, LGBTQ+ respondents are 13 points down on heterosexual respondents at 47% while disabled respondents show the biggest gap of all, 16 points down on non-disabled at 46%.
Mental health is also an important concern with 42% of respondents saying they feel stressed and anxious at work. This peaks in Italy at 52%, which coincidentally is also the market with the lowest percentage of respondents agreeing that their company is open about mental health issues (31%). The Netherlands (26%) reports the lowest percentage of respondents who are stressed or anxious at work. Overall, one in two say their company is open about mental health issues, with the Philippines scoring best at 67%.
Responding to the overall census findings, Loerke concluded: “Now is the time to double down and stay the course because ultimately our efforts will be rewarded with more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces where the best talent will flock.”