International Women’s Day 2023 — Women in design
According to an article in Forbes magazine, in 2019 70% of design students in the UK were female, but strangely, when it comes to the workplace, creative industries are still a heavily male-dominated space (78%). In an industry that should be based on skillset, and is so highly occupied by women in education, why do they only make up 22% of the workforce?
One of the possible reasons for the imbalance could be down to confidence. A recent study from LinkedIn showed that women apply for 20% fewer roles than men because they will only apply for the role if they feel like they meet 100% of the criteria. In contrast, most men said they will apply if they meet 60% of the criteria. The same study found that most women were confident that they could complete the job, but because they didn’t meet all of the requirements they felt like applying wasn’t a good use of their time.
As someone who has recently been in the job hunting game (having only joined Team Launch in January) I found these statistics very interesting, but most importantly, relatable. I feel lucky to have come across the article on LinkedIn before I interviewed for my position here, as it gave me the confidence boost I needed to believe in the abilities I know I have, but also to realise my determination and openess to learn new skills.
Whilst it’s not solely the industries fault that women are cutting themselves out of the running, it’s important to share research like this, creating awareness, and in turn giving people, like me, a boost to just go for it.
The gender imbalance within the design industry is even more prevalent in leadership roles, as Forbes states (2019) only 5–11% of Creative Director positions were held by women.
It should come as no surprise that 88% of young female creatives say they lack female role models and 70% of them have never worked with a female creative director – why do women find it so hard to progress to this level?
One of the slightly more obvious reasons is likely to be that unfortunately many women feel they have to make a choice between family and career. According to research by That Works For Me, only 24% of women go back to work full time after having children, and the number of women in management roles drops by 32%. This is likely to be due to cost of childcare, and companies not offering the flexibility and resource needed to be able to successfully do both.
An alternative reason could be the idea of the ‘backlash effect’ – this is where women feel like they have to act stereotypically “female” because they are fearful of how they will be perceived if they don’t. Whilst there is lots of great potential out there for female leadership ‘the lens through which leadership qualities are defined are found to be positive when applied to a man but interpreted negatively when applied to a woman.’ For example women can sometimes be described as bossy, blunt or emotional (generally quite negative adjectives) while on the other hand men would be described as assertive, concise and passionate (generally positive).
As a female designer of 7 years, who has reported in to both men and women, I have found my female leaders to be more approachable, more understanding and more supportive in helping to push my career forward. In a male-dominated industry, I feel that my female leaders have had a deeper understanding of how difficult it can be to be to have your voice heard and in turn have offered me a ‘seat at the table’ – an opportunity to express and action my suggestions and ideas, giving me motivation, experience and confidence to succeed in the future.
Unfortunately in comparison, I have had male leaders who have leaned on me for support, advice and suggestions but then taken my ideas as their own, who have emailed my male colleagues instead of me when it made no logical sense to do so and have turned down opportunities through fear of me progressing into a higher position than them.
It is important to add here that this blog isn’t anti-men, it’s about equality. Some of my male leaders have been super talented, kind and supportive in equal measure to my female leaders – but we do need more of this within the industry in order to help break the cycle and push it forward.
With the lack of female leaders, this means that only 0.1% of creative agencies are owned by women (Forbes, 2019).
At Launch we are proud to be one of them – a rare gem, with a fresh perspective. I spoke to our female founder and Creative Director, Lucie Scholey, to find out how she has navigated setting up her own agency as a women in a man’s world:
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Whilst building Launch I have encountered difficulties and adversity of all shapes and sizes – from being patronised and man-splained to, to being undermined during presentations because I’ve proven someone wrong. Although it doesn’t make it ok, I’m very thick skinned and ambitious which helps me to rise above it and push harder to continue what I set out to achieve. I believe ‘how someone treats you says a lot more about them, than it says about you.’
I also get a lot of inspiration and advice from my mum who has owned a successful business for over 15 years. You would be shocked at some of the things she’s had to overcome. (But maybe that’s a conversation for another time!)
This does make it all sound super negative.. and it’s not at all, but there is no doubt a problem within the industry, and we need to start changing the narrative. There have been too many times to count that I have been disadvantaged because I’m a woman and it’s very frustrating when at the end of the day, I just want to do the best job I can, and for Launch to be the best they can be!
The percentage of women working in the design workforce has remained virtually unchanged since 2004 which shows a real failure to draw on all the talents out there.
However, whilst the numbers are low it’s not all doom and gloom. There is evidence everywhere that women are continuing to work hard to push through into spaces that were not initially created for them. Even just the acknowledgement of the problem is a stepping stone in the right direction – it puts a spotlight on the issue and encourages people to start taking action. Ultimately lasting change must come from those in a position of power and influence, regardless of their gender.
There are women who have broken the bias and achieved career success, and it is those women who now hold the power to inspire, uplift and support their teams on their own journey.
As a young woman in the design industry I believe having a relatable role model is so important in my development and success, and it’s importance is hugely underestimated. I feel lucky to not only work for a company where having a voice is welcomed and listened to, but also to be surrounded by talented women who support and encourage me.
At Launch we feel that by joining in the conversations and sharing stories and tips where we can, we can all learn and grow with each other and become successful at whatever we pursue.
