It’s a shameful truth that women are vastly under-represented in the industries where we operate—both the technology and agency worlds. The tech industry is 70% male and in the agency world, women make up just 3% of creative directors.
But it’s not just that there are too few women in our industry; it’s that those already in it have to put up with too much shit along the way. Both problems need fixing and every company like ours has to do its part.
Since the start of 2013, we’ve hired more than 100 additional people globally—effectively doubling BSD’s size and, in the process, pushing us past the 51% mark to make BSD a majority-female organization. We have increased representation in every corner of the company, from top executives to software developers, from designers to accountants, from strategists to sales leads.
We’re particularly proud to have welcomed five women to our executive management team: Kate Swann, COO; Sarah Newhall, EVP and Managing Director in our D.C. office; Marie Ewald Danzig, Head of Creative and Delivery; Michelle Mullineaux, VP of Marketing; and Lori Mason, General Counsel.
Of course, headcount balance is just part of the equation. Our commitment to gender balance impacts our decisions in countless other areas, too—from marketing spend, to professional development, to long-term policy considerations like parental leave.
We’ve got an industry-leading parental leave policy that enables moms and dads alike to take the time they need with their family—and lets both parents enjoy more flexibility in how and when they use their leave. This policy is one step in creating a climate that respects work/life balance, but it only begins to get at the many underlying issues that keep more companies like ours from attracting and retaining talented women.
Our progress isn’t enough. But we’re committed to being transparent if that helps move others along faster. So, starting today, we will keep publishing updates of our gender balance online at our jobs site. And we invite other companies in our space to do the same until we’ve collectively closed the gender gap.